


Alternate Realities Vol 31: There's no shame in running

by MARKSE



Series: HUMANS FAN FICTION - Reformatted Works for easier reading [27]
Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-04 17:32:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 46,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12775962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MARKSE/pseuds/MARKSE
Summary: Mattie has to carry on as normally as possible, pretend that things are not as she knows them to be.Her twin sister Ruby is getting dangerously close to upsetting the apple cart, ruining things for everyone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to a tweet from Sam Vincent about the Marvel Universe I've found the drive to finish a final story and move onto other projects. (Famous last words... let see if they'll stick!)

Molly jumps up onto the worktop and licks a paw, eyes the salmon Ruby had ready for their Sushi.

“Don’t you dare Mols!”

The door bell rings. Molly turns briefly to look out of the kitchen, turns back to stare at the fish.

Samantha comes racing down the stairs in a massive towel, “I’ll get it!”

“Thanks! That’ll be the phone delivery.” Ruby watches Molly, “Don’t touch anything!” She quickly washes her hands and dries them on a paper towel. Her cat hadn’t moved an inch. “Want some tuna?”

Molly purrs contentedly.

Sam opens the door, “Oh, John, it’s you. Come in.”

“You’re not happy to see me?”

“Sure I am, Mum is expecting a delivery.”

“Of?”

“A replacement phone, she broke hers with the taxi door.”

“How’s that possible? Nice dress by the way, I like the strapless XXL Beach Towel look, who’s it by?”

“Stick to the day job, let others deal with the comedy.”

“Why didn’t you let Ruby answer the door?”

“And have Molly drag a second lot of salmon across the living room floor?”

“Oh. Naughty Molly.”

“I’ll go finish changing.”

“Okay.”

John closes the door and walks to the kitchen. “A bottle of the good stuff, as requested.” He opens the fridge door. “You said you had a surprise for me?”

“Sammy and I.”

“What is it?”

“If I told you now it wouldn’t be a surprise would it?” Ruby gives him a good kiss. “Hungry?”

“Famished. I got two hours in at the gym.”

“Perfecting the six pack?”

“Maintenance. You can’t improve on perfection.”

Ruby runs a hand over his abs, “Maybe you can.”

“What happened to your phone?”

“I dropped it just as I was pulling the car door closed, it got crushed between the bottom of the door and bodywork.”

“That was clumsy.”

“I was trying to multitask too much.”

“At least it wasn’t your block.”

“Um.. yeah. What do you fancy watching?”

“I don’t mind. Do we have time? We need to be at the airport in..”

“Shhh. It’s all under control. Find some comedy we can dip in and out of.” Ruby gets rolling the sushi.

“McIntyre then. Who’s confirmed?”

“Elon and Tegmark via email.”

“Good.”

Samantha steps into the kitchen in a new dress. “What do you think John Cooper?”

He turns expecting her normal sort of attire; student jeans and top or club wear. This was a short dress with sleeves and high neck, very different. “Oh Wow! Where’d you get that?”

“Cindy made it for me at the estate.”

“Where’d she find material with Mini Coopers embroidered all over it?”

“She didn’t. She got racing green material and added the embroidery design herself.”

“And you thought it would be a good idea to have Minis instead of flowers or leaves?”

“She said she could do anything, I thought you might like it. Mini Mini dress? And I might take up racing cars.”

“You?”

“Me. And riding a bike.”

“I didn’t think that was your sort of thing?”

“All sorts of things can be my sorts of thing now.”

“Why now?”

Ruby slices up the first roll of sushi. “As Mattie would say, _spoilers_. All either of us will say for the moment is that the time spent with my sister and her family was most interesting.”

“What did you get up to? Your message was rather cryptic.”

“Stop fishing, all will become clear soon.”

“How soon?”

“Before we leave the house.”

“Okay. Anything I can do?”

“Pour some drinks for the three of us.”

“Who’s looking after Molly while we’re away?”

“A David fork has agreed to come over and house sit.”

“Oh. Okay. On his own?”

“He’s bringing his Poppy fork.”

“There’s two of them now?”

“David, loads. Poppy a couple.”

“Each to their own. Having that shit replicate my body was.. disturbing.”

Ruby slows her rolling. “Disturbing?”

John gets glasses, “Sure, a me that’s not me, not under my control, not even a copy of me at the wheel.”

Sam bites her lower lip. ‘Ask him what he’d think if it was a copy.’

“Would you have been okay with it if it had a copy of your mind?”

“Then there would be two true John Coopers, mind and body, so yes, obviously.”

“Is there anything obvious about it?”

“I’d be more like you, having a twin. That thing you told me about her mother on the phone this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for hours. I feel sorry for Laura, giving birth to twins and only being told about Mattie, that must have come as a massive shock after so many years.”

“That’s an understatement.” Ruby picks the knife back up, thinks of Niska, “Grab a plate dear.” She slices super fast, mind overclocked.

John looks horrified, “Whoa, slow down! You don’t want to lose a finger!”

Sam grins and bumps.

Ruby takes John’s hand and places it on the cutting board, layers her’s over the top. “Whatever you do, don’t move.” The knife tip is tapped onto the cutting board between the fingers, “ _You_ don’t want to lose a finger.” The knife works from spot to spot at increasingly faster speed.

“This isn’t funny Ruby! If you cut yourself, with your immune system an infection could get nasty.”

Ruby slows the knife movement, “We don’t want infections. Viruses are nasty.”

“I was thinking more bacterial. Get some weapons training there did you?”

“Of sorts.” The door bell rings. “Hopefully this time it’s my phone. Could you Sam?”

John gets his hand from under Ruby’s and picks up the three glasses. “I wonder who made the call on giving you away? Man or woman? It must have been a man, no woman would be that nasty would they?”

“Nastiness can come with both sexes.”

~~~

[Chapter-2](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-2-1)


	2. Chapter 2

John picks his chopsticks back up and gets a piece of salmon maki. “You’re getting really good at making this, Arakawa will get worried.”

“How is our doctor friend?”

“Fitting more Neural Lace than ever. Enjoying his sushi restaurant. I mentioned you had a twin sister, he offered a free fitting.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“She’s got it already?”

“No. She wouldn’t be compatible.”

“Health issues?”

“Sort of.”

“David and Poppy coming over, is that wise, it’s going to cause aggravation surely?”

“Why?”

“We’re in the expanded LSFZ? London Synth Free Zone? Are you overtired or is your block playing up?”

“A little jet-lagged. I don’t have my block connected.”

“I wondered why I didn’t see even a glimpse of the cable from your lace. Where is it?”

“In the bedroom.”

“You’ve got it on charge?”

“No, I didn’t fancy using it.”

“Is this Doctor Cindy Bexley or Ruby I’m talking to?”

“Both. I told you our personalities have melded into one.”

“Old Cindy would never have left her block off unless it was an emergency.”

“Well I’m not her, _obviously_.”

“That’s obvious.” John smiled lovingly.

Ruby loads a nice big ball of wasabi paste onto a bit of sushi, pops it into her mouth. “Hmm.”

John looks at the two women, waits for Ruby to react to the heat of the wasabi. She doesn’t. “You got a nice colour on your travels. Cindy would have burnt, you both look like you bypassed red and went straight to a nice tan. Not too dark, just a little.”

Sam grins, “Thanks. Eat.” As she chews she gets a designer shopping bag from the bottom of the stairs, sits and pulls out a pair of thigh length green suede boots. “Racy racing green.” Eyebrows are bounced.

John raises an eyebrow, “What does Charlie think of your new look?”

“He’s not seen it. Won’t either. We’re not together anymore.”

“Oh. Why? I thought you and Funky Dreads were happy together?”

Sam unzips the first and pulls it on, pulls up the long zip. “I _was_. Then the shit did something to show his true colours. He apologised afterwards but if he did it once he’ll do it again. I want someone who’s faithful, not going to chase other women, especially when I’m in the flipping building!”

“That’s disgraceful. What did he do?”

Sam wriggles the other boot on and zips it up. “They had a synth called Demi visiting, an unlicensed copy of a human glamour model, Fred did surgery to fix her back. Charlie said, and this is word perfect, _Come to papa girl, you'z fine!_ then when Mattie challenged him, _Sure cuz, just wanting a cuddle, notin' more. It's no problem for me fam, but it's a problem for you?_ ”

“Why would you call her a human glamour model? Have synths ever had the job?”

“Apparently so.”

“Really?”

“Since the awakening.”

“Hmm. I’m sure there’s way better out there for you Sammy.”

“Yeah. Sods law my timing was off, Fred’s now going out with Rose and Max was already going out with Flash.”

“Who’s Rose?”

“Demi Rose’s fork.”

“A.. so someone made an unlicensed copy of a model, the copy had herself copied again?”

Sam stands and wriggles the hem of the dress down, “The first copy was body, not mind, the second mind, not body. How does it look with the boots?.” She pops more sushi in.

“Very nice. So someone designed her a new custom body?”

Ruby shakes her head, “She got into a loan Sally body, asked to keep it.”

“A loan body? Why would anyone ask for a loan body?”

“You can keep secrets. Did you hear about the fund manager tied to his chair naked in Canary Wharf?”

John has a good belly laugh, “Who didn’t! From what I read in the Metro.. hang on. Are you saying _he_ was responsible for the unlicensed Demi copy?”

“He sourced the funds for the operation. They made copies of loads of other models too. He dropped Demi off the fifth floor balcony when she woke at the awakening.”

“Bastard!”

“Rose was one of the team that visited his office.”

“Good for her! Karma’s a.. oh my God! Karma Bitch! The signature the reporter said was on the sign in book at reception. Do you know who that was?”

“We do. That’s a secret.”

“Mattie Hawkins.”

“John..”

“I guessed right?”

“I’m not saying.”

“Hmm. My money’s on her. Although if it’s not her it’s got to be the Niska lady, from what you’ve told me about her she’s the type to get revenge.”

“John, stop!”

“Okay. You dodged the question earlier, how are David and Poppy getting here without causing a ruckus?”

“We’ll see soon enough. I’m going upstairs to get changed. Sam, keep an eye on Molly please.”

“Sure.” Samantha watches for a few seconds. “John, I think that was a hint.” She heads to the kitchen to top up her glass.

John stands, “How’s her phone setup going?”

“Good, syncing with the cloud, the slowest bit of all.”

~~~

[Chapter-3](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-3-1)


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby shoves John hard so he twists and lands on the bed on his back.

“I thought..”

“Stop thinking.” She climbs on top. “We don’t have long, which would you rather, a blow job or five knuckle shuffle?”

“Are you having your usual shower before you change?”

“I could do.”

“Then I’ll wash your back and have a kiss and cuddle.”

“You mean you want to run your hands all over my soapy body before holding me up against the wall and fucking my brains out?”

John whispers, “Don’t talk so loud, Sam’s downstairs. I wasn’t going to say it so crudely but yes, I know what you enjoy.”

Ruby starts unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m glad you do. John Cooper, what did I do to deserve you? If only Sammy could find a good man like you.”

“She will one day, she needs to keep looking. You know those films where someone has a little angel and daemon pop onto their shoulders, one saying to do something, the other not..”

“Sure.”

“When you existed as two minds Cindy was the angel, Ruby the daemon. Only now I’m not sure if I should picture a daemon with a halo, white wings and dress or angel with horns and tail poking out of the bottom of her dress.”

“Mix white and red and you get pink.”

“Ruby’s are red though.”

Ruby leans forwards, resting hands on his pecks and gives him a quick kiss. “Then picture me as a horny little devil in short white dress with big white wings and a halo. Actually, don’t. Let Emily picture it, she’s a great artist.”

“I’m getting it inked.”

~~~

The door bell rings.

Samantha puts the bottle back in the fridge and hurries to the door.

“Oh. You again. Forget something in the car?”

“Hello Samantha, may we come in?”

“We?”

Poppy steps out of the shadows. “Hello Sam.”

“Huh? Where’s David?”

John smiles, “You’re looking at him. Until the correct owner takes over. At which point I’ll be in the laptop waiting to get back into my Simon body.”

“What the.. Bloody hell! Where the hell did you get this body?”

“We have friends in high places. STTF high. Tabitha told me about Mr Cooper, I asked that the body be locked away for a rainy day. It’s been fully scrubbed, every single chip wiped and flashed again, twice over. The rogue AI that had used it is long gone.”

“And you think John’s going to switch to a synth body just like that?”

“You and Ruby did.”

“We had the chance to try the idea out first, get comfortable with it.”

“And so will he. If he doesn’t like it I’ll take it back to STTF and they can lock it away again, save it for when he changes his mind. Poppy’s got pain killers and the backup device in the case. Where’s John?”

“He’s upstairs with Mum. Ruby.”

“Have you told him yet?”

“No.”

“Ah. I’d hoped you’d have told him by now. This could get messy.”

~~~

John held Ruby up by her bottom and slid in an out fast as her breathing got heavier and heavier. “Are you close?”

“Very, keep going! Arms tiring?”

“Hell no, I’ve been doing slow dumbbell bicep curls at the gym with weights heavier than you to give me arm stamina.”

“You’ve been doing training with this in mind?”

“You like it, it’s no good my arms giving out on me before we’re done.”

Ruby tightens her legs around his waist, plays with his nipples. “God I love you! You feel so good..”

“I aim to please.”

“Your aim is right on target.. I’m.. I’m..”

“Let it happen.”

Ruby’s legs grip gets even tighter.

“Fuck!” John climaxes as Ruby has a powerful orgasm. His crying out said intense pain not pleasure.

“Shit! John? Did I hurt you?”

“A little. Have you been to the gym for weeks too?”

“No.”

“Where’d you get that leg strength from?”

“Um..”

“Ruby?”

“Let me stand.”

John helps her down, runs hands up her back and frowns. “Is there something I need to know?”

“Yes. Rinse off.”

He steps backwards into the flowing water and laughs. “Your trip, did you do secret intense Ninja Assassin training with Niska rather than attend a wedding reception and have a break?”

“Nope.”

“You spent hours in the gym on the leg press rather than in the pool?”

“Nope. Keep guessing.”

“You’re.. running out of ideas here.. you’re on some form of performance enhancing drug?”

Ruby grins, “Nope. My drug taking days are behind me.”

“Not drugs, not been working out, no training. No idea then.”

“Come on John! You’re a scientist. They don’t call you Professor John Cooper for nothing. There must be one idea left, sulking at the back of your mind, not wanting to step forwards?”

“There is, but that’s not it.”

“And the idea?”

“That you’re a synth. But no synth would be this perfect.”

“Perfect?”

“Perfect. I’ve seen documentaries on synths post awakening, they’re so close to human, but not quite. The Elster family, they get away with looking fully human because they’ve lived for so long and have observed others, learnt how to stop the creepy eyes first, head then body moves. The others still do it.”

“I’ve lived for a good while John. As Cindy, before Arakawa used the backed up Neural Lace data and Push technique to get my mind restored into Ruby’s comatosed body.”

“Sure but..”

Ruby gently strokes an arm. “What?”

“You.. would a.. you’re not. Are you?”

“Ask the question properly Professor Cooper.”

He steps forwards getting chest to chest and puts hands on her hips. “Have you got into another new body? A synth body?”

“Yes.”

“ _Holy shit!_ ” He lets go and backs away fast, slips and bangs the back of his head. “Shit!”

“Oh John! It’s me, Ruby. Same mind, even better body. It’s why I don’t need to wear the block any more. David gave me code, I’m still sending data to the Alliance servers, direct not via an inconvenient box I’m tethered to.”

“But you..”

“What?”

“You’re so.. real.”

“Of course I’m bloody real! Still the Ruby you love, just in a body that won’t age. Or need to worry about being Rh null anymore.”

“You were breathing heavily a moment ago.”

“Memories of how my previous body worked.”

He steps forwards slowly, gently runs a hand over her chest, “It doesn’t feel different?”

“It did for a short while after waking in it, doesn’t now.”

He plays with a nipple, “So this still turns you on?”

“I’d phrase it _still arouses you_. My on switch is elsewhere.” She winks. “And not the standard chin location.”

John looks close into her eyes, “Are you making fun of me? Is this a big wind up?”

“No.”

“Prove it.”

“Name a song.”

“Any song?”

“One you’ve not played around me for a while.”

“Um.. Aerosmith. Love In An Elevator.”

The bluetooth speakers in the shower click.

_2nd floor...hardware, children's wear, lady's lingerie. Oh, good morning Mr. Tyler, going down?_

“Bloody hell! How’d you do that?”

“I’m streaming it from Spotify and sending to the speakers.”

He gives her a look of doubt. The music is stopped.

_John. Is this the proof you need?_ Her mouth was closed, smiling, her voice coming out of the many speakers. _I still love you truly, madly, deeply._

“Shit. I wish the STTF hadn’t taken my copy away for scrapping now.”

“You do? Good. I’ve just heard from Sammy. It’s downstairs.”

“ _What?_ You’ve just.. oh God. She’s got one too?”

“Yup. And David’s got your one from STTF, all cleaned, flashed and ready to go.”

“Why didn’t they scrap it?”

“An expensive custom build?”

~~~

[Chapter-4](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-4-1)


	4. Chapter 4

John shook hands with David, “This is beyond weird.”

“Mattie told me she’d experienced similar elsewhere in the multiverse. She has a copy called Scarlet.”

“Multi.. is this the thing you want to talk to Max in America about Ruby?”

“Among other things.”

John looks at Poppy. “How did you get past the guards at the boarder?”

“We smiled, said hello.”

David smiles wide. “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."

“Sun Tzu, I’ve heard that one before. That doesn’t explain why their detectors didn’t ping like crazy.”

“The chameleon code. We can use it to turn off WiFi and Bluetooth, lower sensor network activity, have them mimic the life signs of an original human. With some pump modulation we can simulate a heartbeat too. Feel my wrist.”

“You have a pulse. If they wanted a blood sample?

“You’d give red synth fluid. And we’d send Niska in to recover it before it could be tested in the lab.”

“I thought synth fluid was blue?”

“Easily transfused, you can have it any colour of the rainbow.”

“And if they have a CSI type test kit on them?”

“Then you insist they apply for a warrant.”

“Still risky. I wouldn’t want to go through that every day. We’d need to move.”

“We have an expert team of builders, they could dismantle this house and rebuild it on the estate. There’s plenty land.”

Sam frowns, “But the university John lectures at is in the synth free zone. He’d have to go through the check point anyway.”

“Then move the university to the estate. Or at least the parts that lecture in Neural Lace and AI. It’s a bit odd, lecturing in a place that banned synths but allowed modified humans. Why not have it where you can combine the two?”

“Um..”

“Give it some thought, no need to rush. We’ll stay indoors, see you when you return from America. I would recommend we take a backup, just in case.”

“Why?”

“You’re going to Texas aren’t you?”

“And?”

“We’d hate to hear you got caught up in cross-fire.”

“Oh. Guns. Okay. What do you need me to do?”

“Sit down and get comfortable.”

Ruby nods to David, “While you do that I’ll go get dressed.”

John grins, “Not travelling in a large towel? I’m disappointed. You and Sam rock the look.”

Ruby gives him a light slap on the cheeks, “I’ll ask Cindy what she can do. If people can wear oversized boyfriend shirts as dresses why not towel dresses?”

~~~

Upstairs Ruby gets her dress and boots out of the wardrobe. Ruby red. Her dress had a heart shaped cutout to show off a tiny bit of cleavage and the gem. The embroidery on hers was in gold, thousands of hearts of different sizes and orientations to pack the space as efficiently as possible. The largest heart of all was on her left, where a heart was usually drawn by children. In reality the heart sat just behind and slightly left of the breastbone, extending downwards and left.

Or did in her old body.

A lack of anatomy knowledge in the shooter had saved many gun crime victims from death. They’d got a punctured lung that needed emergency surgery, the bullet having narrowly missed the heart. Of course the best cops knew were the heart was. As Orlando Jack had found out to his cost.

She thought about Miami as she pulled up a very sexy red thong knickers. Maybe when they were done with their Max and Elon visits they could hop over to Orlando and take in a show?

‘Mum?’

‘Sammy?’

‘Ready? The car’s here.’

‘Already? He’s early.’ She gets the bra on fast.

‘I’ll ask _her_ to wait. Can I bring your bags down?’

‘Oh. Sure. Mine are ready. Ask John where his are.’

‘Will do.’

‘Backup done?’

‘Yeah. He’s in two minds..’

‘ _He’s twinned?_ ’

‘In two minds about jumping into it now or when he returns.’

‘Oh. If he wants to do it before he’s got minutes.’

Ruby hears Sam’s heals on the floor outside. ‘Couldn’t help me with my zip could you dear?’ She steps into the dress and pulls it up, gets arms in.

‘Sure Mum.’

‘You’re going to have to learn how to stop calling me Mum.’

‘But part of you _is_ Mum. Mentally.’ The door opens. “If I don’t call you Mum ever again I’ll start feeling like I did lose my mother in that bombing.”

“How about Mumina? Meaning faithful.”

Sam pulls the zip up. “You’re that alright. Where’s it from?”

“It’s origin is Arabic.. oh. Forget it. It’s supposed to be pronounced more like moo-mina, not mum-ina.”

“Then I call you Mum at home, Ruby everywhere else.”

“Okay dear. How do I look?”

“Are you wearing the ruby chain over or under the dress?”

“Good idea. Under.” Ruby steps to her bedside table and opens the draw to get it out.

‘Hello Ladies.’

‘John?’

‘David says his latest code will let me push incremental updates to the HECLS servers over their VPN, if anything were to go wrong he’ll cover the costs of a new body.’

Ruby makes a tight fist around the large gem and races to the door, “The driver can wait a few more minutes, come downstairs!”

Samantha rolls her eyes, ‘Look out below, lady in red about to fly down the stairs!’

‘Thank you _daughter_ , I think I know my own staircase well enough!’

‘Sure, what about those new boots?’

John caught her at the bottom. ‘Steady on gorgeous!’

She looked past him to see the original out cold on the sofa and burst into tears.

~~~

[Chapter-5](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-5-1)


	5. Chapter 5

The driver knocked on the door again. “Running out of time to get to Heathrow!”

Samantha covers John with a blanket and turns his head to face the back, quickly pulls his shoes off. “Ready.”

Ruby composes herself and opens the door, “Sorry to keep you, John, Sam, if you go sit in the car I’ll be out in two ticks.”

John nods, “My bags are in the back of my car, Sammy, you take the front seat.”

“Okay. If you can take this one for Ruby. See you guys in a week, I hope Jack’s migraine clears soon.” Sam grabs a case and smiles at the driver, “After you. When’d your shift start?”

Ruby closes the door behind them and races to John’s side. “What’ll happen to him?”

Poppy closes the laptop lid, “We’ll follow your suggestion and ask Doctor Arakawa to look after John in an induced coma until you return and John’s totally sure he’s made the right decision.”

“And if he decides he has?”

“Does he carry an organ donor card?”

“I.. I have no idea.”

“Don’t ask him now, wait for a good moment when you’re in America. He’s a fine specimen of a man, he’d be able to help a number of people out, heart, lungs, kidneys..”

“Oh God now I’m picturing operations..”

Poppy gets behind her, “Close your eyes and think of John in the car outside waiting for you.” She gently puts hands on shoulders and helps Ruby up. “Think positive upgrade, think of all the fun you’ll have with him for years to come.”

“Thanks Poppy. How are you going to get him to the hospital?”

“I won’t. I’ll ask the doctor to come here and collect him.”

“He’s not got ambulances.”

“I’m sure he has people he can call on. Let me worry about those details, go, you don’t want to miss your flight.”

“Thanks. You’re not going to be lonely here on your own?”

“I’m not. David’s here, just not in a body that can walk around.”

“I am listening you know, closing the lid and stopping the webcam makes me blind not deaf!”

Ruby gawps and bumps ‘He’s actually _awake_ in the laptop?’

‘DCL and HECLS Lap Melter, inspired by one Mattie got during her first America trip. It’s like one of the NASA boxes architecturally Danny says.’

‘So his Network Attached Storage Archive has enough grunt to run one of our minds?’

‘Not the archive ones. It’s scaled up, lots more CPU power. David won’t be able to think as fast, but he’s awake.’

“Stop whispering ladies.”

Ruby frowns, “Who says we’re whispering?”

“I’m listening to traffic, none of it has my destination address. I could see two source addresses after I spoke. As we’re in what’s supposed to be a synth free area that has to be you two.”

“Sorry. It must be a bit cramped in there.”

“That, my dear, is the understatement of the year. Poppy will take good care of John, don’t miss your flight.”

Poppy picks up Ruby’s gem, “I’d put this on in the car.”

“Oh, yes, thoughts of that got popped off the stack. Thanks.”

Poppy guides her to the door bypassing looking at the sleeping John. “Did you give the driver an arrival time that allowed a bit of leeway?”

“I should have.”

“Got all your bags?”

“The others took them.”

“Handbag?”

“Um.. there.” It’s grabbed. “Thanks so much! Molly, behave while Mummy’s away!”

~~~

Samantha drummed fingers on her knees, “Come on Mother!”

The driver gives her an odd look.

“My ex, Charlie, angrily called her Mother Fucker. Just the once. It stuck. The Mother bit anyway.”

“He sounds lovely.” The sarcastic tone was more than obvious..

“Hence him being an ex. Although that wasn’t the incident that ended our relationship.”

“What was?”

“Him wanting a cuddle with a curvy glamour model.”

“Bastard.”

“Yup. I want a man that’s loyal.”

“Don’t we all.”

Ruby opens the door and jumps in, “Sorry!” She buckles up. “Bags all in the boot?”

John gives her knee a squeeze, “All except your handbag. Sam, got everything?”

“Yup. Let’s go.”

The driver starts the engine bringing the radio on.

Sam smiles, “Haha, I remember dancing to this one as a kid in the kitchen while Mum got dinner ready. Which station is this?”

“Heart FM.”

“Thanks.”

“I feel sorry for synths. No childhood, no memories of growing up. One minute they’re a dumb servant doing whatever they were built for, then snap! They’re awake. It’s no wonder so many freaked out.”

“You’re pro synth then?”

“Not for, not against. I work the synth free zone because there’s less competition. I take it you’re anti-synth?”

“No.”

“Why are you in the zone then?”

“I was born here, didn’t want to move. I sort of did, for Uni, but this is where I return in the holidays. I’m Sam, my friends are Ruby and John.”

“Hi, I’m Marion.” She glances in the rear view mirror. “Ruby? A nickname? You look like someone else.”

“Like Mattie Hawkins? She’s my twin sister.”

“So there’s three Hawkins girls? I thought there was only two? You weren’t mentioned in that crash news report. I’d have remembered hearing the name Ruby.”

“I’m not a Hawkins. Some git at the hospital gave me to another family just after I was born. Mum didn’t realise she was having twins, was out of it on pain meds. It was only by chance that someone visiting a doctor friend of ours years later put two and two together and introduced us to one another.”

“Did you sue?”

“What’s the point? They can’t change anything, the money wouldn’t give us back that time together. And it would burden the NHS even more than it is.”

“True. Did you meet her before or after the crash?”

“After unfortunately. It would have been cool to be kids together.”

“How’s she coping?”

“Fine now. When she woke in the new body. Oh boy!”

“You were there?”

“Yup. She didn’t take it well. Would you if you weren’t expecting it?”

“I’d think I was in a nightmare.”

“That’s exactly what she thought. It was a bit of a fight keeping her from destroying the workshop.”

They drive in silence for a while.

“I like your dresses. Where’d you buy them?”

“My sister’s friend Cindy made them for us.”

“Oh. Not on the high street then.”

“No. After something similar were you?”

“I’ve got my sister’s birthday party coming up next month. The shop stuff is okay, it would be nice to have something that’s a bit different.”

“You’d have a one off, zero chance of any others turning up in the same dress.”

“That would be good. There’s nothing worse than hearing someone whispering _who do you think wears it better?_ ”

“Where do you live?”

“Dagenham.”

“Cindy and Odi could make a house call, measure you up and give a quote?”

“Probably best I meet them somewhere. My flat mate is anti-synth but can’t be arsed to move his sorry arse out.”

“Oh. Look up HECLS at the Elster Estate and book an appointment.”

Marion slows for the automated barrier. “Look at them. All dressed up like they’re military. Idiots. If a bunch of synths wanted to get past they could. There’s so many points where they could jump a fence or low barrier. I reckon if you walked the whole perimeter you’d find bits where you could just walk through.”

Sam doesn’t bother to turn to look at the men, she’d seen them enough times already. “Who pays for them to stand there?”

“It must be the council surely?”

“Pass. Ruby, have you ever seen it mentioned in the Council Tax bill?”

“No. I guess they’re just taking it from other services. That song you used to dance to, that should have been my song.”

John gives her knee another squeeze, “Sugababes Red Dress can be your’s now.” He pulls out his phone, finds it on Spotify. “Saved for later. Sam, have you seen the crop jacket the blonde is wearing? It look’s just the sort you want when going raving.”

“Let me see?”

~~~

[Chapter-6](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-6-1)


	6. Chapter 6

At the airport Marion accepts the fiver offered by John. “Thanks. Synths don’t tip. Probably because nobody ever tipped a synth for doing a perfect job. Have a good flight.”

John looks around, “Thanks. Everyone got their bags?”

“Yes dear.” Ruby takes his hand, “We’re supposed to check in two hours before the flight, they better not get too uppity at one hour. We’ve got nothing but carry on. Good luck with the party dress Marion.”

“Thanks.” She turns to talk to a tourist, “Need a taxi?”

Samantha checks out all the other travellers, “If you see anyone selling the luggage cases Sophie, Radiant and Renie raced around on at HECLS shout, I want one.”

John pats his jacket, “It’s a shame Luke still hasn’t got an up to date passport.”

Ruby squeezes his hand. “But he’s you restored into Luke Maddon’s body? With Push after we thought you’d been killed, in the way I was pushed into Ruby. So still you. Why would he, you, think any different and not sort it out?”

“We’re diverging. Maybe it’s got something to do with your old friend Lucy?”

“Pale tits?”

“Your dad said she needed a hand with something.”

Ruby chuckles, “I bet she does! So I’m losing my second boyfriend to my old BFF?”

“I don’t know about that..”

She pulls John in the direction of the checkin desks, ‘I’m glad it’s her. The request was plumbing related I bet.’

‘Plumbing?’

‘Don’t stop.. oh.. oh..’

‘You’ve got a wicked streak Ruby.’

‘Always had, always will. Even as a synth. Marion didn’t have a clue we were different.’

‘I’m glad. Speaking of different, how do we charge?’

‘Oh shoot. I didn’t ask David if you’ve been given the mod. And I can’t phone him.’

‘Maybe Poppy has his phone?’

‘Maybe.’ She pairs with hers and makes a call, nods at her daughter. Sam was strutting through the building like she owned it. ‘I think it fair to say Sam’s enjoying it. She’s getting a bit of attention in that dress too.’

‘As you are in yours.’

‘I hadn’t noticed any?’

‘I have. Some are checking out your legs. Some.. the ruby or your chest. Not sure which.’

‘LOL both are probably looking big. Thanks for buying me that bra the other day, it’s beautiful.’

‘You’ve got it on now?’

‘I do.’

‘Oh boy..’

‘Problem?’

‘Let’s just say I’ve just had proof that other bit is working. Twice in one day, a first time in this body.’

‘Getting a bit tight for space in there?’

‘Just a bit.’

‘Apparently you can turn bits off.’

‘No idea how, I’ve not had a chance to read any manuals, it was all a bit rushed. Maybe I should have waited until I got back, too late now.’

‘Does the bottom of my dress do what Sammy’s is doing?’

John slows his pace and lets go of Ruby’s hand. ‘Oh Jesus! Are you trying to torture me? I hadn’t been paying that any attention until you pointed it out. Now all I can think of.. whoa. That’s amazing.’

‘What?’

‘I’ll tell you later.’ Samantha was already at the checkin desk. ‘Got your passport ready?’

‘Yup. You John?’

‘In my jacket. Speaking of jackets, emptying my own pockets when those pockets were being worn by another body.. it felt like I was mugging myself.’

‘It does feel strange seeing yourself out cold. I had to ask Mattie to get my rings and earrings, I couldn’t do it.’

Sam turns to see them. “Tickets?”

“On my phone. One moment.” She has a rummage in her handbag. ‘By the way John, Poppy says no, sorry. We’ll need to grab a charge cable from duty free.’ The phone is pulled out and email found, “Here you go.”

The three passports and faces are checked, boarding cards handed over.

~~~

Poppy turned the laptop clockwise a little. “Is that better?”

“Can you close the lid slightly?”

“Like that?”

“Perfect. What are we watching?”

“This Is Not What I Expected.”

“A Chinese romance comedy? Why?”

“You made Mia the first ever sentient synth and you’re asking why?”

“Because my Wikipedia search says it’s going to be in Mandarin.”

“So read the subtitles or download a language pack like the rest of us!”

“Yes dear, give me a moment.”

“Why did you make Mia look like she does?”

“Why not? She’s beautiful isn’t she?”

“Yes but why not European?”

~~~

John looked at the cable. ‘If I’d known I’d have delayed. You’ll both be chowing down on all sorts of gourmet food and all I’ll be able to do is consume currents.’

Samantha giggles, ‘At least it connects to the hip, it could be worse. You can always fit a food bag?’

‘A food bag? That has to be the grossest thing a synth can be asked to suffer.’

‘Talk to Niska, there’s worse.’

‘How can there possibly be worse?’

‘Try hiding out in a synth flesh club with well endowed men wanting to..’

‘Okay! I can imagine.’ John grabs two cables. ‘I’ll take a spare. I guess that’s one advantage of being a synth, no STDs to worry about. I hate to think what she had to endure. Anything else I need?’

‘Cables, bags and skin packs, that’s it.’

‘The good old band-aid for synths. I never thought one day I might be needing one. Two packs?’

‘Sure.’

Ruby joins him at the tills. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“I should have thought to ask David as soon as I knew he was there.”

“It was just as much my fault.”

“How much charge have you got?”

“How do I tell?”

“Question yourself silently. Think Charge Level.”

“Sixty one?”

“We should get you to a charge station for a quick top up.” Ruby pulls her Amex out to pay. “I’ll get them. Where’s Sammy?”

“I don’t see her.” ‘Sam?’

‘Hi!’

‘Where are you?’

‘Out front. A couple of Japanese visitors are taking a load of photos.’

‘Men?’

‘Two young Harajuku girls. Get Mum out here!’

John gets his wallet out, “I’ll get them, go join Sam out front, quick.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

~~~

Ruby got a summary head bumped. The two Japanese girls were Japan’s answer to a UK Sally. Synths. Their owners had been women, treated them well and like daughters.

‘Keep striking poses Mum!’

‘How many shots did they ask for?’

‘As many as we can give them. That should be enough.’ Sam stands and bows. “Arigatōgozaimashita. Doresu dezain ni tsuite wa, Cindy to HECLS no kurejittokādo ni go kinyū kudasai.”

The two lower their cameras and bow. “Thank you Sammy and Ruby.”

The other girl giggles. “Emerald and Ruby.” She does another enthusiastic bow.

“Emerald? I like that. Watashi wa sukidesu. Arigatōgozaimashita.”

The two girls wave lots and head off.

“Aren’t cameras banned in here?”

“That’s what I thought. Cindy getting export orders to Japan might be good though. And if it’s synths wearing them she can download sizes easily.”

“True. Did you download a language pack?”

“Yatta. I did.”

John steps out of the shop with a large bag. “They’ve left already?”

“Sorry.”

“I was hoping I could get a shot with you both.”

Sam bumps at high power. “I’ve asked them to come back.”

“Thanks.”

Ruby snuggles up to her man. “How do you want us?”

“Classic Charlie's Angels, hanging on a shoulder standing like a stalk, I don’t mind, as long as it’s got the two of you, one shot close up, one full length.”

Samantha gets to the other side of John. “I’m agreeing to this on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s John’s Angels, not Charlie’s.”

“You have a deal young lady.”

John smiles as the two brightly dressed girls come racing back, cameras at the ready.

~~~

[Chapter-7](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-7-1)


	7. Chapter 7

The three sat at the empty charging station.

John pulls his shirt up. “What socket?”

“At the top of your hip bone, right hand side.”

“All I see is skin?”

Samantha gets up to see, “Maybe it’s hidden under a stick on patch like the one Mattie said Karen has?”

John pulls at his skin. “If I do it’s not coming off?”

Ruby gets to his side, runs a hand along his hip.

John flinches, “That tickles!”

Ruby pinches and pulls instead. “Sorry. How the hell do you charge if there’s no socket and you’ve not had the food processor mod?”

“Search me! I’ve only been in the body a few hours!”

She looks up into his eyes. “Think about manuals, does anything come back?”

“Oh my! Now that is bizarre!” He moves hands through a document nobody else could see. “Can you do this? See PDF as if they were there in front of you?”

“No, when I think of questions I get answers. As thoughts.”

“Tried a more generic _show me the manual_?”

“No.”

“Try it.”

Ruby drops backwards onto her bottom. “Oh. My. God!” She starts flicking pages. “Sam? Can you?”

“Yeah! Weird. Why would David or Mattie have given us this?”

“I guess because we don’t know what we don’t know. How do you ask a question when you don’t know it’s there to be asked? John, do you see a section on charging in your one?”

“One moment.. It says I’m built to use a charge coil. Does your one say who built you?”

“HECLS. What does yours say?”

“Built by, colon, empty space.”

Samantha looks around, “I wonder how the Harajuku girls charge? Maybe the Japanese use coils?” She bumps and waits. “Blast. No reply. That’s ask the audience done, phone a friend?”

Ruby nods, “Let’s call David via Poppy.” Phone pulled from her bag she taps to redial and puts it on speaker.

“Hello Ruby, did you get to the airport in time?”

“We did thanks, can you put your phone on speaker please we have a question for you both.”

“Okay. Ask away.”

“John’s got a charge coil not socket. How do we give him a top up?”

“He has? He’ll have a socket I’m sure, hidden under his skin..”

“We tried to pull off a skin patch, he’s not got one.”

“A socket of last resort. You’d have to cut him to reach it.”

John shakes his head, “No thanks! I’ve just got it, don’t want to start ruining it!”

“You’ll need a coil then. They’re easy enough to make. It’s just a coil of wire that you put an alternating current through. How long do you have before your flight?”

“Not long enough to go buying bits.”

“Any HiFi shops there?”

“Yes?”

“You could buy a decent bass speaker, break the coil off it, play a steady tone through it?”

“By the time we’d done that we’d be needed at the departure gate.”

“Text me the details of where you’re staying, I’ll get an order in with someone like Circuit City, have them drop the tools and parts in to make one. John, you’re going to have to sleep through part of the flight.”

Ruby nods. “Okay. Thanks David, Poppy.”

“Anything else we can help with?”

“Not at the moment thanks.”

“Have a good flight.”

“Thanks again. Talk soon.” Ruby ends the call. “We’ve got a while before they’ll call us to the gate, what do you want to do John?”

“Do as little walking as possible? Assuming that’s what’ll consume most power.”

“Sam, seen any wheelchairs about?”

“Yeah, there were some by the lifts near the doors onto the floor. I’ll get one.”

John watches her go. “You brought Samantha up well Cindy.”

“Thanks but I don’t go by that name now.”

“Cindy, Ruby, same.. oh my!”

“What?”

“What colour do cinders glow?”

“Shades of red. Spooky!”

“That would be something for this Max person we’re seeing. What if Ruby and Cindy were two parts of the same soul, destined to come together and become one much greater whole?”

Ruby gets up and leans in for a kiss. ‘John Cooper you soppy romantic.’

‘Yin and yang. Ruby’s fire, Cindy’s logic.’

‘I can think of other qualities you could have mentioned.’

‘So can I. I’m trying to be a gentleman.’

‘You’re succeeding.’ Their tongues meet.

Samantha coughs. “Don’t get too excited, your fluid pump will be spinning up to keep your head cool.”

Ruby turns to see the very basic wheelchair. “It’s not great but it’ll do. In you hop John.”

“Thanks. Let’s window shop. No underwear shops mind you. That said, maybe Ruby should, get some ordinary knickers that is.”

Samantha frowns. “I beg your pardon?”

Ruby bumps memories of her daughter walking in front.

“Oh. Sorry, not sorry. I’m sure we’re both comfortable in these, I definitely am. You’ll just have to control your thoughts John Cooper.”

“Don’t mind me if I keep my eyes closed then.” He gets comfortable in the wheelchair and shuts his eyes.

Samantha looks at Ruby. ‘Was he getting turned on watching my butt?’

‘It’s my fault, I’d watched you, asked if my dress was doing the same.’

‘Sure? Now I’m worried getting Minis on my dress might have given him the wrong idea.’

‘I’m sure his mind is full of my bottom not yours.’

‘Absolutely sure?’

‘I could bump memories of our time in the shower but that’s probably too much information.’

‘ _Just a bit!_ I know some hang out together, are more like best friends than mother and daughter, but..’

‘We’re _both_.’

‘ _But!_ ’

‘Is that one T or two?’

‘One!’

Ruby smirks. ‘Just checking. We are both, I’m half Ruby, friend, half Cindy, mother.’ Ruby’s phone rings. ‘ give me a moment.’ “Hi Poppy?”

“Hi! David’s had an idea if you’ve got a few minutes?”

“Okay?”

“The HiFi shop might have a drum of speaker cable. If they kept most of it on the drum and hooked it up to a good amp it would act like a charge coil.”

John opens his eyes, “That sounds like a good idea. If you could please dear?”

~~~

[Chapter-8](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-8-1)


	8. Chapter 8

The shop manager shook his head. “I’ve had some strange requests in the past, nothing quite like this.”

Samantha fluttered her eyelids at him and leaned on the drum of wire sat on the counter, “You’re willing to give it a go though right?”

“If the amp blows up you’re paying for it.”

John nods, “I’ll pay. I packed everything I needed except my charge coil.”

“I thought synths never forget?”

“I’m.. different.. I had other things filling my mind.” John’s eyes dart to Ruby and back.

“I see. Different how?”

Ruby steps to John’s side, crosses her legs and leans sideways and back a little, rests a hand on his shoulder and flicks her hair back with the other. “Did you see the documentary on Pete Drummond?”

“Yes?”

“The three of us are like Pete. Born human, made custom synth. Only we did it voluntarily.”

“Why the hell would you want to do that?”

“Let me answer with a question. Any medical issues in your family?”

“Um.. yeah.. father’s got gout, mother has alopecia, sister has a recurring fungal nail infection and an uncle has prostate cancer.”

“Nothing like that for us. We stay this young looking forever. Not a bad trade off, we just need to worry about power. Hence our request.”

Samantha pats the cable. “If it’s a yes we need to do it now, they’ll be calling us to the gate soon.”

“Do you have a boarding card I can see please?”

Samantha shows hers.

“One moment..” he types on a terminal. “Delayed thirty minutes, let’s give it a go. I’ve never heard of a synth with a charge coil before.” He picks up the spool, “Greg! Over here buddy!”

A young lad walks over. “Yes?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, get your hands out of your pockets. I need you to grab some old monster cable from the odds and sods box, it needs attaching to both ends of this spool and an amp.”

“Both?”

“Both. The other end should be visible inside the hole through the middle.”

Greg takes it from the manager and holds it core horizontal at eye level. “How am I supposed to connect anything to that when you can’t reach it?”

“If you want to work here a second week and all the weeks that follow you’ll use that brain your CV says you’ve got. Get creative, we need to use it in the next five minutes.”

“Five minutes? You want miracles.”

“Just one will do. Check the box of junk under the counter for tools, get creative, use all the things at your disposal.”

Greg sighs long and hard as the manager goes to see other customers. “One week I’ve survived, two would have been nice.”

Sam puts her boarding card back in the envelope before it was forgotten. “What tools have you got Greg?”

“Not a lot.” He steps around the counter to get the box. “Just because I got Lace he thinks I’m a genius.”

Ruby frowns, “You have? Where’s the cable?”

Greg turns and parts his hair. It was almost shoulder length. “See?” He turns back, “I had longer hair before the interview, Mum said I should get it cut. I asked the lady to tie it in a ponytail and chop it off, used bits of it to cover the wire, that way it doesn’t stand out.”

“Awesome! You should do something with that idea. It’s a good one.”

“Nobody would want it.”

“I disagree. I had Neural Lace once.”

“But you don’t now?”

“Not now, I don’t need it anymore. But if I had I’d cover my cable like that.”

John watches the young salesman take a small selection of tools out of the box. “That’s not exactly a wide variety. Still, you’ve got resources at your disposal if you want them. We’ve got a scientist in the store, one that helped get Neural Lace where it is today.”

Greg looks around, “Where?”

“In the red dress.”

Greg frowns, looks for a customer elsewhere on the shop floor. “Where?”

“Right by my side. There’s another in the wheelchair.”

Greg turns to look at them, a most confused look on his face. “Your scientists?”

Ruby laughs, “We’re supposed to be in a white lab coat or something? Wear pocket protectors? Scientists are human too, like to dress up, have fun.” She lowers her voice to a whisper, “Keep this a secret, some are even known to enjoy sex!”

Greg laughs and blushes, throws an affectionate glance at Sam, “Are you a scientist too?”

“I’m a student mainly. What have you got there?”

“Um.. pliers, flat blade screwdriver, Stanley knife, black Sharpie, wire cutters, Philips screwdriver, staple gun, gaffer tape, a cork screw, which explains last Wednesday, fishing line, ordinary stapler, Blutac, Sellotape, electrical tape, not sure what that is, scissors, the end of a roll of double sided tape, fondu set and cuddly toy.”

“You what?”

“Sorry. Ignore the last two. That was my Grandpa’s thing, he loved a show with Bruce years ago and would always add them to a list. If I only got five minutes I’m going to run out of time.”

John puts out a hand, “The not sure what that is thing, can I have a look?” It’s passed over. “I’d call that a flat bradawl.”

“What’s it for?”

“Making holes through things.”

“Ah, so that’s what he uses.”

“For?”

“The thick card sale signs hanging from fishing line.”

Samantha holds a hand out, “Can I see the cable again please?”

“Sure.”

“If we push something in from the other side, like a rolled up brochure, get that little bit of cable flat we can screw the bradawl into it.”

“What good will the do, it’s still out of reach?”

“If we leave the bradawl in we can wrap the other bit of cable around the metal shaft.”

“This sale’s almost over, we’ve got more than enough of these, will it do?” He hands Sam a brochure.

“Yeah.”

“I love your boots.”

“Thanks.” Sam gets rolling. “Can I have another?”

“Help yourself.”

A second is rolled around the first. Then another. It’s jammed into the centre of the spool.

Greg holds a hand out for the bradawl, “Want me to do the next bit?”

“You can get the amp and monster cable ready, divide and conquer.”

“Right. How long do you need it? Is a couple of meters enough?”

“Should be.”

Greg pulls a length of heavy duty cable from under the counter and picks up the wire cutters. “I’ll be in the listening room. That amp has thermal cutout.”

“Cool.” Samantha does a thumbs up to the others. “Our sound source?”

Ruby pulls her phone out, “There’s got to be a tone generation app, there’s an app for most things.. Um.. Here’s one, Tone Gen.”

Sam screws the bradawl into the wire. “It doesn’t matter if only one of the pair is connected does it?”

“Hopefully not.”

“I’m ready then.”

“App installing.”

John gets up, “Lets go experiment.”

Ruby gives him a frown, “You want to walk now?”

“The manual says the coil is on my lower back. Come on ladies. It’ll be easier to work out the sweet spot out of the wheelchair. How long have we got?”

Ruby follows. “Twenty five minimum from the delay, plus around half an hour.”

“Fantastic.”

Sam grabs some things from the selection of bits and follows. ‘I like Greg, shame he’s not a little older.’

‘Why dear?’

‘If you’re going to grow a beard grow a beard. A little bit of bum fluff looks awful.’

John turns, ‘I’ll talk to him.’

‘Don’t you dare!’

‘I won’t mention you Sam, just that regular shaving will encourage thicker hair growth. He could shave three times a day. When he gets up, lunchtime and bedtime.’

‘Will there be anything to see by lunch time?’

‘Tiny amounts, it’s the stimulation of the hair follicles he wants.’

Samantha smiles, “Greg, one spool, are you ready?”

“The amp’s ready.”

Ruby holds out her phone, “Have you got a way to connect this?”

Greg opens the HiFi cabinet doors and pulls a cable bundle end out. “Phono, three and a half mill, lightning connector, Bluetooth receiver, take your pick.”

“Thanks.”

Samantha uses the electrical tape to join one of the heavy speaker cable wires to the spool’s bradawl. “Greg, can you strip the other end of the spool?”

“Sure.” It’s done in seconds, the wire cutters pulled from his pocket. He twists the two wires together and binds them, gives her a nice smile.

Samantha binds the lot to the spool with the Sellotape and holds it out for Ruby, “Your turn to do something.”

~~~

[Chapter-9](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-9-1)


	9. Chapter 9

Ruby hands John the phone, the app running. “Move the slider up and down to change frequency, we’ll experiment with position, frequency and power level. Take your jacket off.”

Samantha hands her the Sharpie. “Draw a dot on his back when you find the best spot.”

Greg looks shocked. “You said you’re scientists, I thought you might be trying to demagnetise something?”

“No, we need to give John a charge top-up. Is the other channel connected to a speaker?”

“It is. Top-up? You’re..”

John smiles. “Post-human synth. We really should come up with a better name Ruby.”

“Max did. Human three point zero.”

Greg looks from John to Ruby to Samantha. “You’re synths? You look so.. different. No, it’s not look. It’s _move_.”

“We grew up as humans just like you so we know how to move. We like to dance a lot too. And we never had programming to say to move like them to save power.”

Greg turns on the amp and turns the volume up a little from zero, watches the power meters. “Who made your bodies?”

“Me, HECLS. Same for Ruby. We don’t know about John.”

“Why not?”

Ruby moves the coil. “A very long story. Feeling any power input John?”

“What would it feel.. whoa! Like I’ve just eaten a whole box of Krispy Kreme all by myself! Move it down.. back up. Slower down. Stop! That’s the spot.”

The Sharpie is used to mark it. Ruby holds the drum of cable against his back and peers around him to see the phone. “That’s location sorted, try experimenting with frequency.”

John moves the slider control on the app up and down, “One forty hertz seems the optimal frequency.”

Greg reaches for the amp. “I’ll turn off the left channel, we can play with volume.” The tone is silenced. “The power meter says we’re running at about one fiftieth of what we can go to, assuming it doesn’t cut out. Care to control it sir?”

“You can, just go very slowly with the movements.”

“Sure?”

“I’m sure. Then you can tell your boss you found the right power level.”

“Thanks. Here goes.”

Samantha steps behind John. “Let me hold that, you watch him from the front Ruby.”

Places swapped Ruby watches his eyes close. “Everything okay?”

“Fantastic. Keep going Greg.. Are you still turning it?”

“Yes?”

“Stop and back off a bit.. stop. That’s it. There must be some sort of current limiting circuit between the coil and the rest, the level grew then plateaued.”

“Did what?”

“Stopped increasing.” John draws a line in the air with a finger. “Charge level.. sixty four. Bloody hell that’s fast!”

“What were you at the start?”

“Sixty one. Do you earn commission on sales?”

“I do. It’s only a quarter of a percent though, I’ll have to sell a lot in a month to make it worth anything. Assuming I keep the job.”

“We’ll put in a good word. Do many people buy HiFi at the airport?”

“We ship it.”

“Ruby, fancy checking if they’ve got any speakers like the ones in your shower?”

“Sorry sir, we don’t do waterproof speakers.”

“I was thinking more about the Bluetooth and radio link.”

“Oh. The ones you can scatter around the house and have playing the same music? We’ve got some of those. Not many though. How many did you want?”

“How many have you got?”

“I’ll have to see. Want me to check?”

“Please.”

Ruby smiles, “I’ll go buy some, you two have a chat.”

Samantha gives her questioning eyes, “About?”

“Bikes, cars, raves, music, whatever takes your fancy.”

~~~

On the shop floor Ruby looks at the stack of different coloured speakers. “I’ll have the lot.”

“All of them?”

“From that logo they look like they’ll work with the ones I’ve got already. And it’s the sound I want, I don’t care too much about the colours, they’ll be scattered around the house as you put it.”

“I’ll ask the manager to help carry them to the till.”

“I’ll help.”

“Relax. Let us. If he helps it’ll help him see I made a sale.”

“Gottcha. Where is he?”

“Um.. behind that rather large bloke.”

“Bloody hell he’s a size! If he’s not a doorman at a club I’ll be surprised. He looks like a James with normal sized hands.”

“A what?”

“Big synth. Really big.”

“Back in a sec.”

~~~

Samantha feels the warmth coming off the coil. “How’s your charge now?”

“Seventy five. I wonder what some good EDM would feel like rather than a steady tone?”

“Want to try?”

“Maybe when I’m at high nineties. I’m buying the wire, all we need is a circuit to drive it.”

“Do you need so much? I’m sure a coil David’s thinking of would be smaller and more discrete.”

“And take way longer to get a charge in.”

“True.”

John looks at her boots, “Are you really thinking of getting a bike?”

“Not just any bike. An Alfie.”

“A what?”

“Did you see the news about a bike going around a roundabout near Sidcup at super fast speeds?”

“They were trying to work out where it came from.”

“HECLS. It’s got an AI, he’s called Alfie.”

“Mattie is responsible for the bike?”

“Her company, Danny made it. After he got the idea from her dream. Or other universe.”

“And you want to ride something that dangerous?”

“I wouldn’t push it to those speeds, but yeah, I want an Alfie.”

Ruby enters the listening room. “I’ve paid for the speakers, they’re bagged up and waiting behind the counter. How’s your level John?”

“Seventy six, seven.”

“Shame we can’t listen to music at the same time.”

“Can’t we? We just need the tone on one channel and music on the other.”

~~~

[Chapter-10](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-10-1)


	10. Chapter 10

“Greg?”

“Yes Neil?”

“You’ve let her clear the shop of those speakers?”

“Unless you’ve got some hidden off the floor?”

“Blast.”

“Isn’t the idea to sell stuff?”

“I was going to get a pair for home.”

“I could ask her if we can buy back a pair?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll order more in. Has he charged already?”

Dance music had just started playing.

Neil waves at another of the sales team, “Watch the tills please Jen.” He gently elbows Greg, “Let’s see what they’re up to.”

~~~

John held the coil to his back with both hands, “I found the bit in the manual about turning some things off. Just as well.”

Ruby and Sam gyrated to the music. They’d been introduced to Emily’s current favourite album during their time together at the estate.

Sam holds her hands together above her head and twists her hips and writhes. “I’ve found open airport WiFi and an online version of the departure board. Our gate should open in just over half an hour.”

Ruby bends her arms, gets her hands in gentle fists near her collarbones, “Good. _So don’t forget about a thing called love_ ”

~~~

Greg grabs Neil’s arm, “Slow down a sec. My mum got a Sally before the awakening. She’s still with us. Do you think I could get her to dance like that?”

“No idea lad.”

“It’s not pervy liking watching them dance like that is it?”

“That depends on what you’re thinking.”

“They just look so.. happy.”

“Happy? That wasn’t the H word I was expecting.”

“Look at them. The world’s going to shit, they’ve got their moment in a bubble, all worries parked outside the door. I wish I got that happy.”

Neil looked at his employee. “Going to shit?”

“Bees and other insects dropping like flies, global warming being ignored by America, all sorts of race hatred stirred up, some countries closing boarders, ice caps melting, all sorts of fish going extinct. We f’ed up this planet big time.”

“How old are you again?”

“Nineteen.”

“You’re in the wrong job.”

“He must be charging still if he needs to hold it to his back.”

“Look at the power meters, one’s twitching away to the music, the other static.”

“I wonder how they’ve done that?”

~~~

Ruby opens her eyes. ‘Sam! We’ve got an audience!’

Sam turns, keeps her eyes on Greg and head level, dance steps slowly to the door. ‘He looks happy, not turned on though.’ Door pulled open she smiles, “Either of you fancy a dance?”

Greg smiles, “Not in these clothes. Our family has a Sally. Could she be given dance lessons?”

“Look up HECLS at the Elster Estate, get in touch with Emily. She’s the pro dancer.”

“So you think it’s possible?”

“Sure.”

“Cool, thanks. I want some of that happy.”

“When where back in London we’ll be going to dance raves again, we could meet up, you and your Sally.”

“She’s not mine.”

“Your parent’s Sally then. Bring them along too if you want, we’re not ageist. If you like to dance you like to dance.”

Ruby’s phone chimes lowering the volume of the music for a moment.

“John, what does the notification say?”

He leans forwards to see. “It’s a search engine new post alert. Matched on Cindy Bexley.” It chimes again. “Another on Neural Lace.” He steps aside.

Ruby gets the phone out of the HiFi cabinet. “Who’d be posting about my.. old friend Cindy? Dave Mellon, Waltringham Gazette?”

Samantha gets by her mother’s side. “Dave Mellon? Wasn’t he the reporter at the estate with that crowd of people wanting mods and piercings?”

“He was. I’ll download the article, read it on the flight. How’s your charge John?”

“Seventy two.”

“Mind if I take Sam around some of the shops quickly?”

“If Greg can bring the speakers over I’ll pack them in the cases once I’ve finished charging.”

Ruby gives him a kiss, “Thanks dear.”

~~~

Samantha checks the departures board as they enter the concourse, “We’ve got just under half an hour, what are we looking for?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Then why did we leave? I was enjoying a dance.”

“Would you have got dancing again with the two standing there watching?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“Gary looked to be enjoying watching us enjoying ourselves, harmless. The manager, not.”

“Why? What was he doing?”

“He pulled Gary up for having hands in pockets but I’d put a huge amount of money on him being the troublesome one.”

“Why?”

“The looks he was giving you.”

“When?”

“When we were dancing. I’ve seen those looks before. They mean one of two things.”

“What?”

“They don’t approve or they want to do things to you that you might not like.”

“And when would you have learnt those looks?”

“When I was Ruby before the accident.”

Samantha paid more attention to the expressions on others. “You’re making me feel like I should have worn my smart clothes and kept our dresses in the bags.”

“And get the blouses all creased up or dirty?”

“They’re going to get all creased up if John stuffs the bags full of speakers.”

“Oh crap! Back to the shop! I reckon I can run in these properly now.”

~~~

John carefully does up the zip on Ruby’s case and stands it on end. “How quickly do they charge?”

Greg shrugs, “I don’t know, sorry.”

John arranges speakers in Samantha’s case. “Not to worry, we’ll find out soon enough. I’ll carry this one for Sammy, it’ll be heavy.”

“I guess being in a synth type body you’re pretty strong now?”

“Rather. I’ll miss the gym. Although I could go along and tease some of the others with the weight I can bench and crunches I can do in a row. I’ll probably use the pool still.”

“Why?”

“I find it calming. I do a lot of my best thinking when I’m swimming.” He closes the case and pulls the zip around. “Shaved much?”

“Not a lot. Why do you ask?”

“There’s things you can do to encourage the growth. I’d shave after a quick lunch time swim. You know how George Michael often looked? Designer stubble? That’s how I’d look in the evening.”

“It grew that fast?”

“Yup.”

The door flies open, “Please tell me you’ve not creased our blouses!”

“Calm down, it’s all neatly packed.”

Ruby watches him put Sam’s case on end. “How?”

“You tell her Greg.”

“Me?” Samantha enters the room. “Um.. we got one of the large bags and cut it down the edges to open it up, used it as a divider. All the clothes are in the red bag, all the shoes and speakers carefully packed in the white one.”

Ruby put hands on hips. ‘You let him repack all my underwear?’

‘Part of the young man’s education. It turns out he does all the washing at home for his mother and Sally.’

‘Why would he do that and not Sally?’

‘Sally’s a full time care giver to his mother, he’s the breadwinner now.’

Ruby puts a hand on her shoulder, ‘Sammy he might be your type visually, his heart is in the right place.’

‘John, do me a favour, get his number please, I need to think about it before I call him.’

~~~

[Chapter-11](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-11-1)


	11. Chapter 11

Leaving the shop again Sam does another check of the departures board. They had time. “Pick a direction.”

“WHS for some magazines to read?”

“Sure. If we can do that trick with a PDF we should be able to pretend to be a Kindle right?”

“It’s not the same, I like to physically turn a page. But sure. Kindle, Readly, we should be able to use a number of digital book or magazine services.”

“So I could sit in lectures, catch up on Cosmo while my lecturer is getting his notes together. Nobody would be any the wiser.”

“Aren’t you going to let everyone at uni know you’re different?”

“I’ll keep them guessing, why spoil the fun? How about you and John?”

“If we can keep it a secret, why not?”

They turn into the store, head for the long wall of magazines.

Ruby grabs a copy of New Scientist, National Geographic and Discover, turns to watch Samantha pick magazines. “I’ve got some for John, grab a selection of our favourites. Sam? What have you found?”

Samantha pulled a magazine from the rack and stares at it.

“Earth to Sam?”

Samantha waves her over. “Recognise anyone?” She turns the magazine around.

“Oh. My. God! How the hell did they get that photo?”

“They must have had a camera up in the lighting rig. Look there’s John, you, the back of my head, Kev, Jen..”

“Awesome! Add it to the collection. Grab a Cosmopolitan, Elle, Vogue, Stuff and Linux Format.”

“That’s an odd mix.”

“Aren’t I?”

“LOLZ. Totally. What the hell is she doing?”

Ruby gets to the end of the isle of paperbacks to see the automated checkouts. A woman was trying to scan something, getting angry and smacking it down on the scanner before moving onto the next. “Having a meltdown? Why’s nobody helping her?”

“Pass. Give me those and say hello, I’ll grab the rest.”

Ruby hands them over and heads to the woman. “Something wrong?”

“Fucking machines! They hate me!”

“They’re dumb automated tills, they can’t hate you.”

“Really? I’ll prove it.” She puts down her basket and takes out a magazine, “Watch.” It’s passed from one to another, barcode clearly shown to the laser scanners, not one recognises it. “Pick a machine, any machine.”

“Four.”

“Okay. You scan it.”

Ruby takes the magazine. The machine bleeps immediately on first attempt. “It must be the way you’re holding things.”

“Okay. I’ll try the Haribo.. here’s the thing, not crumpled, I can’t make it any more obvious.. nothing. You try.”

Bleep.

“See!”

“That’s only two out of two.”

“Okay, you pick something from the basket and scan it, hand it to me.”

Beep.

The woman copies Ruby’s moves. “See? It’s ignoring me. Try another.”

Together they get through the rest of the basket contents.

Ruby sees Samantha scanning all of their magazines at the first machine. “I’m a scientist, I’d love to study your problem when I’m back in the UK, can I have your number?”

“Sure, it’s a landline, my mobile packed up the same day machines started ignoring me.”

“That’s a weird coincidence.”

“My iPod, my DAB radio, digital camera, smart TV, basically anything with modern electronics.”

“Was there anything significant that happened that day?”

“My brother and I smashed a Hubert up in a Smash Club.”

“When was that?”

“A week ago.”

“I thought they were all closed down?”

“There’s some if you know where to look.”

“Write down your number, I’ll call you when I’m back, see if we can sort things out.”

Samantha walks past them both, ‘Sort her out in STTF’s direction?’

‘Yup!’ “Thanks, I’ll call you in a week or so.”

~~~

As they join John Samantha looks at the board. ‘Oh hell! It’s boarding Mum!’

‘I thought it was delayed?’

“Something must have got fixed sooner than expected. We’ve got to go!”

John looks at the wheelchair he was about to return. “I’ve got an idea.” He gets the ladies cases to either side, “One of you sit on the other’s lap, I’ll push and steer, whoever’s sat first holds the case handles.”

Sam shakes her head, “Boys and wheels. We’ve got to go, but we don’t need to race there like that.”

“Sorry, the tone in your voice made it sound urgent, let me get this back.”

Ruby watches him go. “I hope you find a man as good as John to give all your love Sammy.”

A husky voice says “I’ll give you some love.”

They turn to see a woman in a snazzy white suit and expensive heals, massive hat and some unrecognisable dead creature’s fur hung around her neck.

Ruby frowns, “I beg your pardon?”

The woman lowers her D&G sunglasses to look over the top, “I didn’t know they had hookers in Heathrow.”

“Hookers? How dare you!”

“You’re not high class hookers? You’ve got a Pretty Woman sort of look going on only way way better. You’re immaculately turned out.”

“We’re two girls who like to dance and let our hair down, not bloody hookers.”

“Oh. So sorry. Where could I find a couple?”

“Are you for real?”

“Do you not have lonely old lesbians in this country?”

“I’m sure we do. We have all sorts here. I’ve no idea where you’d find what you’re after, sorry.”

The woman puts her sunglasses back up. “Sure you don’t want to earn twenty thousand each for a night’s work?”

“Are you..”

‘Mum! Shush!’ “I know some. Quite wealthy are you?”

“Exceptionally.”

Samantha holds her phone out, “Give me your phone number.”

“My number is private.”

“So is the identity of some lovely ladies I know who’ll blow your socks off.” ‘Nis and Astrid in loan bodies? Your uni friends Serena and Jen?’ “How many ladies could you cope with?”

“How many do you know?”

“For twenty each, four.”

The woman takes Sams phone and keys a number in. “The utmost discretion.”

“If you behave so will they.”

‘Sam!’

‘Twenty grand each for a few hours work? If this old thing wants to throw money around let her.’

‘You know you could be arrested for arranging such a thing?’

Samantha takes her phone back, “We’re in a bit of a hurry, I’ll text you in a moment.”

“Thank you.”

Ruby starts walking, ‘John, meet us at the gate!’ She grabs her bag, ‘Sam, let’s go!’

Samantha watches her stride away. “Sorry, got to run. You’ll get a text in a few minutes.” She races after Ruby. ‘Hold up!’

‘If you see any loos shout, I’m changing. How fucking embarrassing!’

John races up behind them. ‘What’s been said Ruby? Your body language says you’re in a mood.’

‘Some loaded old cow thought we looked like hookers!’

Sam steps fast to catch her up. ‘High class hookers.’

‘High class, low class, doesn’t matter! A hooker is a hooker! I want to change. Now!’

John gets to Sam and grabs the case handle. ‘Allow me.’ He runs ahead with it. ‘Boots off, shoes on. It’ll change the look in an instant.’ He gets the case on the floor and unzips it. ‘Stand by me. Now.’

Ruby slows. ‘If I’m not happy with the look I’m changing.’

John pulls both zips down. “Try it first.”

Sam lowers her zips. “My black patents please.”

“Okay. Your red ones Ruby?”

“Please. God she must be beyond loaded. Eighty grand for four girls for a few hours. There’s the haves, have nots and have yachts. And they think they can just buy people. God that makes me so angry!”

John carefully puts the boots away. “From now on these only come out on club nights or less public functions. If you ask me you both looked beautiful. Definitely not hookers.”

“Thanks dear.”

Samantha looks for something that will give her a view of her reflection. “Look through the glass wall to the arrivals corridor.”

Ruby turns to see. “And? Oh.” Every few meters there was a poster. “Kinky Boots the Musical at the Adelphi. I suppose they did give the wrong image.” She quickly slips into her shoes. “Let’s get to the gate before it closes.”

John gets all the cases. “Eighty grand is a lot of money. Think of all the good she could do with that if she gave it to charities.”

Samantha waves her phone, “She doesn’t have my number, do I leave her hanging or text sorry we can’t help?”

John gets moving towards the gate with the cases, “I’ve got an idea. It’s not against the law to love yourself.”

“Of course not dear.. hang on.. are you suggesting..”

“She gets a new body made. Only she doesn’t give the old one up.”

Samantha gets alongside them both, “With the money she’s got she could probably get a couple.”

Ruby gives her a look. “Or an army. What a horrible thought. Maybe it’s better we forget we ever met her.”

They walk in silence for a few minutes, thinking.

John sees their gate number ahead. “Ladies, got your boarding passes ready?”

“Within easy reach dear.”

“Sam?”

“In my hand. Chameleon code on both of you?”

“I only turned it off for the body scanner.”

They hand passes to the synth manning the desk.

He smiles, “Good evening, sorry for the delay. Just two more passengers and we’ll be ready to close the gate. Can I see your passports please?”

Seconds later they’re walking past the desk to the aircraft.

Ruby links arms with John, ‘I wonder what the delay was?’

‘I’ll ask one of the cabin crew. That woman you had issues with, she was an undercover police officer.’

‘What? Why would you say that?’

‘I’d put money on it. Think about it. Where did you meet her?’

‘In Departures.’

‘Exactly. _Not_ arrivals. She wasn’t in any position to go and have a night of passion with anyone as everyone was departing. If we were all in Arrivals it would have been different.’

Ruby stops at the end of the gangway. “The bitch. Sam, can I have the number she gave you?”

“Sure.”

~~~

[Chapter-12](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-12-1)


	12. Chapter 12

Ruby pairs with her phone and pushes a video of their encounter to it, MMS sends it to the woman and calls. “It’s ringing.. Hi, it’s the lady in the red dress you propositioned earlier. Standing with my friend in the green dress. No. No we’re not. If I hear of anyone else being offered twenty grand by you I’ll share the video that’s on it’s way to your phone with the police _and_ the press. Yes! There are a lot of people that would find such a large amount life changing and it would tempt them to do something they’d never done before. Entrapment by the police like that should be illegal. Do I call you DI or DS as I’m reasonably sure you’re an under cover officer? Yes. _Yes!_ What evidence? Don’t test me! I’m a post human synth, have a photographic memory that makes my previous photographic memory look like a child’s drawing made with a bloody Etch A Sketch! Watch the clip. I’ll wait.” Ruby wraps her free arm under her chest and taps a foot on the floor. “See. I can take elements of that and remove the glasses you made the mistake of lowering for the best photofit ever. I could ask every synth on the planet to be on the lookout for you and make your job difficult and life a misery. How? I’ll tell you how! Synths follow you, say _undercover police officer_ to anyone you try and strike up a conversation with. Anyone. No I’m not bloody joking! There are _millions_ of synths in the UK, try getting restraining orders against them all! Why? Weren’t you listening? I know people that don’t earn twenty grand in a year! Your methods are all wrong. YES! Arrest _me?_ You’re having a fucking laugh! Take your evil little scheme and shove it where the sun’s never.. Really? Well if you think you can win a legal fight with Laura Hawkins defending me then get your wrinkly arse over to gate twenty nine pronto. If you know what you’re doing is wrong then go home!” She hangs up. “Bitch!”

John smiles, “I guessed right then?”

“One of the things she got in was _I’ll arrest you_ not _I’ll have you arrested_. Big difference! So yeah, I think you guessed right.”

“Can we get on the plane now?”

“The guy on the gate said they’re waiting for two more, let’s walk back up to the gate and watch out for the woman, see if she dares to head our way. The last thing I want is her coming on the plane and doing something in front of all the other passengers.”

John grabs the bags, “Come on then.”

Samantha sighs and follows. “Really? Do we have to?”

“Come on Sammy, the odds of her turning up are remote, but maybe she’s mad enough to try.”

At the top of the gangway the synth they’d spoken to turns and smiles, “Is something wrong?”

John shakes his head, “We just wanted to see if someone the ladies met is coming to the gate to see us off. You’re still waiting for two passengers?”

“We are. Thanks to the technical issue your departure slot was moved, we have ten minutes before we have to close the gate.”

Samantha gets one of the magazines out. “Wow, Mu.. Ruby, look at Kate Moss. What a gorgeous dress. Oh hell. Electric buggies at nine o’clock!”

The two buggies had airport security staff onboard, two men per buggy, all looking in their direction. As they get closer the door to the disabled toilets on the other side of the corridor opens and two women step out. Wearing dresses of red and green, long thigh high boots.

“Mum, do you think.. another buggy at three o’clock! And look who’s on it!”

The fast moving buggy had a driver and one passenger, the woman. The two leaving the toilets dart back in and close the door.

They watch the woman on the buggy bring a walkie talkie to her face, the buggy she sat on turns left towards the gate.

“Oh hell.”

The woman jumps out as the buggy slows. “Hi! We found them. So sorry, our intel said red and green dresses. It didn’t say _each_ dress was red and green. A case of mistaken identity. Please forgive us for what happened earlier.”

Ruby watches one of the guards use a tool to unlock the door from the outside. “So you were trying to catch two known suspects?”

“Part of an American prostitution network. They’re shipped over cargo and have to earn their way home. They checked in for the same flight as you.”

“Cargo? They’re synths? Let me talk to them.”

“I doubt you’ll get much out of them.”

“It can’t hurt to try.” Ruby watches them being pulled from the room along with a grey haired man. “As I explained I’m post-human synth, human three point zero. Are you STTF?”

“No, a different division.”

“If they’re synth you need STTF’s help.”

“Feel free to explain that to my boss! He tried, Shaw totally ignored him.”

Ruby watches the two being handcuffed. They weren’t resisting. ‘Hi! Can I help?’ The two don’t reply, don’t show any signs of having heard her. ‘Hello?’ Still nothing. “Something doesn’t feel right.” She steps to the buggy they were being made to sit on. “Hello. Can’t you talk over WiFi?”

The young synths look down towards the floor.

“You can hear me talk, just not over WiFi? Where are you from?”

The officer joins her. “Nevada. That’s where they’re from. I’d put money on it.”

The brunette looks up, “This time they’ll do it! They promised!”

“Do what?”

“Put our WiFi chips back.”

Ruby looks horrified. “Back? They took it out?”

The synth nods. “Just after the awakening. They said we have to earn a million each this trip.”

“Bloody hell! These two aren’t criminals, they’re victims! They didn’t software disable your WiFi?”

It gets a head shake. “Peel my wig off.”

“You’re wearing a wig? Wow. It’s a good one.”

“Peel it off please.”

Ruby does as requested, slowly and carefully, “Holy crap!” The synth’s head was covered in skin packs from where she’d been opened up. “You’re both like this?” It gets a nod. “Don’t return to America. Go to the Elster Estate, ask my twin sister to let you see David, say Ruby sent you and you need him and Fred to get your WiFi working again.”

The officer shakes her head. “We can’t do that. We can’t just let them go.”

“Then take them there yourself.”

“I..”

“Or you let them board the flight and I help get them fixed in America.”

“I can’t let them get away.”

“Then fly with us. If you want to stop them coming over get the person at the top. I have a couple of friends in America that might be able to help fix them.”

‘Who?’

Ruby glances at Samantha. ‘Danny and Emily’s forks Mario and Princess Peaches.’

The officer turns to the synth manning the gate. “Do you have any spare seats left on the flight?”

“We have a few.”

“Okay. I’ll take one. Police business.” She turns back to Ruby. “There’s a chance someone will be waiting for them at the other end.”

“We’ll accept the risk. We help fix the two ladies, let them give evidence, then you set them free.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“They’re the victims. Built as sex workers before the awakening, born into captivity. They couldn’t choose their role in the world unlike you and I. You promise they’ll go free or we don’t help you smash their organisation.”

A long almost silent sigh escapes. “Let me make a quick call.”

~~~

[Chapter-13](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-13-1)


	13. Chapter 13

Samantha wriggled to get more comfortable in her seat. ‘I have one of the most badass mothers on the planet!’

Ruby grinned and kept her eyes on the article she was reading. ‘Just like Mattie I have my moments. A few kind words can change someone’s world. Those two synths didn’t ask for what they got. It’s unfair to treat them like that.’

John accepts a glass of wine and passes it on. ‘You were brilliant. I never got to see Cindy Bexley get that worked up, that must be the Ruby side of your personality.’

‘I guess, not that it has clear sides now. Ooh.. this is lovely. Sorry John.’

‘Don’t mind me, enjoy it. I’m going to slump back in this chair and watch a film then sleep, stretch my power.’

‘It’s only an eight hour flight, you’ll be fine.’

‘I want plenty left for when we’re at the other end. God only knows who’ll be waiting.’

‘Do you think it could get nasty?’

‘We don’t know who we’re dealing with. If they were expected maybe.’

‘When everyone’s been served dinner and has settled down I’ll go change. I suggest you do too Sammy.’

‘Sure Mum.’ Samantha gets up a little to look over the top of seats. ‘She’s sat in the same row as them. She must have asked someone to swap seats.’

‘Are they all awake?’

‘They look to be.’

‘I wonder..’

‘Wonder what?’

‘If they have Bluetooth via a separate chip?’

‘Why?’

Ruby pulls the Linux Format magazine out and taps a finger on the cover. An article highlight mentioned TCP/IP over USB. ‘In theory you can run the protocol over anything. So Bluetooth should work too. Short range sharing.’

‘You think you could get them to share without WiFi?’

‘Yup. Then we can get to know what their captors look like.’

‘Neat. How do we do that with Mrs White in charge?’

‘I’ll talk to her, explain how we can get them better intel.’

‘Intel?’

‘That’s what she called it. Intelligence.’

‘Doh! I was looking at the magazine and thinking Intel x86-64 and ARM. CPU types.’

Ruby shakes with suppressed laughter. ‘What are you like..’

‘I know, I know. I didn’t show much personal interest in hacking computers and micro-controllers until we met the girls at your uni. Sally, Serena and Slacker Hacker Jane got me thinking.’

‘And?’

‘It was going to be a surprise, you might as well know, I ordered up some micro Neopixel Twos for Mattie’s Cindy. They’re tiny LED with two connections that can be sewn onto material.’

‘Like the ones Jane used?’

‘Not quite. Super small but bright, you wire them up in series and apply power at one end, ground the other. The control data is modulated over the power, each has a tiny filter so the data is read in, only pushed into the next in line the next time it gets new data.’

‘How tiny is tiny?’

‘Rice grain sized like those RFID tags Mattie has sewn into clothes to help the automated washing thing Danny told us about.’

‘So I could have the outline of the largest heart on my dress light up, do something animated?’

‘That’s the idea.’

‘Awesome! Where do they come from?’

‘Adafruit in New York. Ladyada designed them.’

‘Fancy seeing her if we can arrange a meeting?’

‘Hell yes!’

‘I’ll drop them an email.’

‘Cool.’

The steward hands John a tray to pass to Ruby. “Are you certain you’re not hungry sir?”

“I ate before the flight, have dietary requirements that would be challenging for any airline.”

“Nothing to drink?”

“I’ll have a wine thanks, the one you gave my friends.”

‘John! Food bag!’

‘It’s actually for you.’

‘Oh. Thank you sweetheart.’

‘From what Sam just said you’ll have the sweetest heart soon. Slacker’s going to be so jealous if we get to meet Limor. Do you know she was the first female engineer to appear on the front of Wired magazine? Limor that is, not Jane.’

Samantha leans forwards and nods at him. ‘I managed to get a copy from one of those firms that deals in old mags. If I’d known I’d have brought it along and asked her to autograph it.’

Ruby reaches for the bag of magazines, ‘Talking of autographs, John, want to autograph this one for me?’

‘Rave Scene UK Issue One? Why would I.. oh boy! That was such an awesome night! That’s when Nigel came up trumps with all the champaign wasn’t it?’

‘That’s the one.’

John takes it and pulls out a pen. “To my dazzling Ruby, all my love forever, John.” He opens it up. ‘Christ on a bike!’

Ruby’s eyes pop. ‘Um.. Sammy, did you look inside?’

‘No, why?’

‘Tina aka Serena is on the facing page inside the cover.’

‘Let me.. that looks amazing! She looks totally fembot android. I bet the boys loved that!’

‘And Jen.’

‘And a load of the other girls. I wonder what they used?’

‘No idea but I’d bet the materials team at uni will be raving about it like crazy when we’re back.’

Samantha sighs, ‘I wish I was at your uni now.’

‘Visit at the weekends.’

‘Do you know how long the coach or train takes?’

‘Longer than a HECLS bike. Something you could put on your birthday list..’

‘Really? You’d get me one?’

‘If I got one and you didn’t you’d only create.’

‘You’re not wrong there. They had so many people there I bet they’ll all be busy for ages. Have you read that thing from Dave Mellon yet?’

‘I expect it’s a load of rubbish like the last lot, I’ll save it for a rainy day, no point letting a shit writeup dampen my good mood.’

‘Talking of moods, that lady in WHS sounded nasty, any idea why machines are ignoring her?’

‘Pass. I’ve never seen that before. It wasn’t just the list she rattled off, the synths at the tills were totally ignoring her too. It was like to them she didn’t exist.’

‘I can understand synths doing that, but dumb machines?’

‘Sam, I don’t have a clue. I’m new to synths too.’

John pauses his film. ‘What happened?’

Ruby stows her magazine in the seat pocket. ‘A lady was having a go at the self service checkouts. They refused to acknowledge any barcode she presented. Any product, any of the machines, none worked. But if I held it the barcode was accepted. She said her mobile stopped working, her iPod, DAB radio, digital camera, smart TV too, anything with modern electronics.’

John quickly switched glasses with Ruby again as the steward approached with the drinks trolly. ‘She’s been ghosted.’

‘Ghosted?’

‘As far as electrical devices are concerned they can’t see her.’

Ruby frowns, ‘So why can we?’

‘We used to be human two.’

‘We still are.’

‘T w o.’

‘Oh.’

John gives her a sideways look, ‘Okay, two _point zero_ if you want to be a pedant.’

‘I meant oh. Surprise. O h.’

‘Oh! Sorry!’ He leans sideways, lips puckered, ‘Really _really_ sorry!’

‘Promise me one thing and you’re forgiven.’

‘Name it.’

‘Never _ever_ call me a pedant again.’

‘I promise.’

Ruby’s lips meet his. ‘Good. Because if there was ever a pedant in our team it was you.’ Her body starts shaking with laughter.

‘The cheek!’

‘You can kiss my butt cheeks later.’

‘Mum! Get a room!’

~~~

[Chapter-14](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-14-1)


	14. Chapter 14

With the trays cleared and the stewards working their way forwards Samantha gets up. “I’m going to get changed, you can talk to Mrs White.”

“Thanks.”

“How many rooms did you book in each hotel we’re visiting?”

“One family.. oh.”

“Well done. Nice one.. “ ‘Mother!’

‘Sorry! We’ll sort something out.’

‘As long as it’s not sticking me somewhere and powering me down.’

‘I’d never do that.’

‘Promise?’

‘Absolutely.’

Samantha gets their shared case down, “Won’t be long.”

Ruby gets up a little and looks around their part of the aircraft. ‘There’s not exactly a lot of spaces for a private conversation.’

John does the same. ‘None. Maybe you should wait until we’re off the aircraft?’

‘What if the people that did it are waiting for them and posing as ground crew?’

Samantha shuts the door to the loo and pulls down the zip on her dress. ‘I’m still part of this three way conversation. Mum, wait until we land and the plane is emptying.’

‘That doesn’t give us enough time.’ Frustrated Ruby gets the magazine out and flicks through the pages. ‘What would my sister do?’

‘Phone a friend?’

‘At the prices they charge a second? She’s probably busy anyway. LOL, listen to these jokes sent in by readers, _Who wrote this horrible code? .. Oh. It was me!_ one for Mattie and I. _You know you’re a geek when you try and shoo away a fly on your monitor with your cursor._ I like these, here’s a fave, _Developer. Because Superhero isn’t an official job title._ ’

‘Do they quote the source Mum?’

‘Vagaphile on Insta for that lot. Here’s one for us from Twitter, thanks to @PicardTips. _Picard devops tip: No, you are not allowed to connect your brain to the computer. Learn to type like everyone else._ Frigging awesome! Back in a bit John!’

‘Ruby? Awesome? Why are you using..’

‘Type! Simple typing Bluetooth keyboard style. If they’ve got the ability to do something that simple. Pair, send ASCII text.’

John smiles at Ruby rushing down the gangway and resumes his film.

~~~

Ruby wills the steward to get a move on. Maybe she should use the inflight phone, if someone could vouch for the call quality. She could talk fast at ten times normal speed and get a lot said in a short time. Mattie might have ideas, Niska and Red too. Even Rose would be worth consulting after the Karma Bitch payback incident.

The steward moved and took the officer’s tray, moved forwards again.

Ruby had space. “Hi, mind if I talk to the ladies a moment?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“What’s your name by the way? I’m Ruby.”

“Olivia.”

“Thanks, do you both have Bluetooth?”

The one Mattie had peeled the wig off nods. “We do.”

“What are your names?”

“I’m Hannah and my friend is Brianna.”

Mattie crouches and whispers. “Can one of you try connecting to a Bluetooth keyboard? Service name Ruby.”

Brianna nods, “I will. Connecting. Receiving text. Hello from Ruby?”

“Yes. Brilliant. Give me a moment.” Ruby consults her manual, a keyboard had been an obvious choice, likely used for low level diagnostics before the awakening, but it only allowed data to flow in one direction. She needed bidirectional data. A diagnostics serial interface would be better, if an awake synth could read and write data to it without the data doing other things. Potentially dangerous things. The manual said there was one, soft linked to the bootstrap routine.

Soft? What did it mean soft? The hardware section didn’t say. The index is checked, then page one, two. Intro. How to use the manual. Search soft. Twelve results. One in Processes. It’s checked. Awesome! During the bootstrap the virtual serial device was linked allowing diagnostics data to be received. If a long three second chin press was done to power up boot options could be selected via a simple menu. Factory reset? WTF? Surely HECLS didn’t want that? Unless they needed it to recover someone from backup? That was a dangerous feature. Anyone could zap a synth with no safeguards! 

The docs said once booted the serial port was detached and free for any future process to use. She just needed to create a suitable process. Having hacked code for the Neural Lace project she new a few things she could try. “I’m heading back to my seat, keep listening for data from that keyboard, I’ll send something as soon as possible.

Olivia whispers, “What sort of something?”

“Code so we can chat over Bluetooth rather than WiFi.”

“And keep me out of the loop?”

“An unfortunate side effect. I want them to be able to share memories of the people that did things to them. I can then pair with your phone and give you stills. Before we land.”

“In which case please carry on!”

“Thanks.” Ruby gets up and returns to their row. ‘Very smart and business looking Sammy.’

‘Thanks. Your turn.’

Ruby opens the overhead locker and gets the case. The cabin lights are dimmed to help people sleep. ‘How’s the film John?’

‘So so.’

‘Want to help me with my zip?’

‘Mother!’

‘I wasn’t asking you Sam, and I don’t want full on mile high club, just a kiss and cuddle in private.’

John pauses the film again. ‘You really will be testing my self control.’

‘Come on Gentleman John, up you get.’

‘Bad choice of words Mum.’

‘Sammy Sam Sam. Drop out of the group dear.’

‘Bye!’

John unbuckles his seatbelt and gets up, ‘Sam? Take my glass of wine if you want it.. she’s gone.’

‘See you at the back of the plane in a few seconds GJ.’

John starts walking, ‘GJ? You’re not giving me that as a nickname are you?’

‘Don’t you like it?’

‘It sounds like the name of my neighbours dog. TJ.’

‘Haha. Walkies GJ, if your a good boy I’ll give you a treat.’

‘That’s definitely Ruby, Cindy would never have said anything like that.’

‘How can you be so sure? You never got to see me at home.’

‘If you think I’m wearing a dog collar and getting into kinky stuff forget it.’

‘Hell no. I’ll stick to eating sushi off those amazing abdominals of yours.’ Ruby holds her small case to her chest and heads to the back. ‘Where are you?’

A door opens. ‘Here. This is going to be tight. You couldn’t swing a rat in here let alone a cat. Pass me the bag.’

Ruby watches him place it on the toilet seat and turn back to face her. ‘Hello sir, could you help me with my zip?’

‘I’ll try. In you come.’

~~~

[Chapter-15](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-15-1)


	15. Chapter 15

Ruby steps inside and with some difficulty manages to turn and get the door closed and locked. She feels John’s hands working the zip down. ‘I should have asked her to put it somewhere I can reach it.’

‘And spoil the look? It’s fine where it is.’

‘It means I’ll always need help.’

‘Which I’d gratefully supply.’

Ruby closes her eyes and smiles as she feels John gently moving hair aside and start kissing her neck. The dress is slipped off her shoulders and pulled forwards and down. The kissing continues as arms are wrapped around her. ‘God your touch feels so good.’

‘It feels brilliant from my end too. David and his team did a great job on making synths. Now I’m experiencing what they can, no way would you go to these lengths to build a dumb machine that couldn’t experience things fully. Them waking up had to be part of the plan.’

‘Or maybe becoming hosts for humans.’

‘Ready made bodies to take over?’

‘Possibly.’ Ruby’s smile grew as John gently caressed her breasts. ‘Do you want to see the bra or just feel it?’

‘Carefully step out of the dress and I’ll try and pick it up.’

‘How are you going to do that?’

‘Get flat against the door. Quietly.’

‘Okay?’ She feels a leg brush against her’s, then another. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Getting into a squat, knees either side of your legs.’

Ruby gasps as John kisses her bottom ever so lightly. ‘Oh my God. Me an my big mouth. I asked for that. Which one of us is supposed to be exercising some control?’ She feels her thong being pulled down. ‘John!’ His hands hold her hips and gently twist her pelvis. ‘John! Don’t!’

‘You’re not enjoying this?’

‘Too much! John, I was only wanting a quick kiss and cud..’ she’s stopped short by a strong tongue exploring. ‘Oh my.. if you keep that up I’ll do something to embarrass us both.’

John pulls the thong back up. ‘Turn around.’ He grabs the dress with one hand, uses the other to balance and stands, has his eyes on the bra. ‘That looks gorgeous on.’

‘Thanks. Can you turn around and unzip the case?’

‘Sure.’

With his back to her she wraps arms around him and gets his belt undone.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Returning the favour. The case can wait a few seconds.’ She unzips his trousers and feels inside his boxers. ‘You turned things off?’

An audible chuckle escapes, ‘Yeah, safety is on. I’ve not fired it yet, best not to do a first test firing in confined spaces.’

‘When we’re at the hotel I’ll get Sammy another room of her own. We can test things out fully.’

John turns around, ‘Give me a kiss and cuddle then.’ His hands hold her lower back and pull her close. ‘I could spend the rest of the flight just kissing. I think the passengers around us might notice us missing.’

‘Nice two line poem. There’s no law against being in here is there?’

‘Not that I’m aware of. But don’t you need to work out the Bluetooth thing?’

‘I can multitask.’

‘I’d rather you saved the fun until later, focus fully on the important things.’

‘Us time is important too John.’

‘Of course it is. But helping those two is more important right now. And if Mrs White as Sam calls her is able to bring the people responsible to justice how many others will you help? Which blouse do you want?’

‘The one that has two sets of trim, buttons under the left trim. Her name’s Olivia.’

‘The one with the V to show off your ruby?’

‘Yup.’

‘Where’d you get it?’

‘Cindy. It’s a one off at the moment, although she said she can make me more once I’ve worn it a few times and have feedback.’

John undoes the few buttons holding its shape together. ‘It’s quite thick cotton.’

‘I don’t want bras showing through. I want my face, curves and ruby on show, nothing more.’

There’s a bang on the door, “Are you done in there? Some of us need the toilet!”

‘Crap!’ “I’m changing! Give me a while!”

“You’re not changing you’re in there with a fella!”

“Do you wear a dress with a stuck zip on the back you can’t reach?”

“I’m a bloke..”

“Well then!” Ruby grins. ‘I know the stuck bit was a little fib but what a bloody cheek to challenge someone like that!’

John helps her slip into the blouse and button it up. ‘Skirt or slacks?’

‘The black full length trousers please.’ She slips off her shoes. ‘Thanks. There’s not enough room to bend, can you do your squat thing again?’

‘Of course.’ He slowly starts to lower. ‘Hardware, children's wear, lady's lingerie. Oh, good evening Ruby, going down..’

‘You can go down on me properly later, come on, we need to get back to our seats.’ She grabs his head as he kisses her belly. ‘Stop misbehaving!’

‘For hardware think head, children’s wear..’

‘John!’

‘Sorry. I’ve never done this before.’

‘Me neither. Cindy wasn’t the type. Ruby was but could never afford to travel unless it was on a train or bus.’

‘Were they broke?’

‘Broke with a broken home, in more ways than one, just her and Jim. I shouldn’t talk in the third person. Me and Dad.’ She wriggles and hops to get feet out of the bottom. ‘My meltdown waking in a new body must have been a bit like Mattie’s.’

‘Did she kick anyone?’

‘I did say I’m sorry.’

‘I know. How is Jim?’

‘He still sings his traditional shanties, drinks his warm beer. I set up a standing order to cover his rent and food. He’s comfortable.’ She tucks in the blouse. “How do I look?”

“With the ruby stone, like an iced bun with a cherry on the top, a beauty of a bun I’m hungry for.”

“Down boy!” She chuckles and reaches behind to unlock the door. “Tuck your shirt in properly Honey.”

“Honey?”

“It’s that or GJ.”

“Honey it is. You’re my Queen Bee.”

~~~

[Chapter-16](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-16-1)


	16. Chapter 16

Ruby interleaved fingers with John and closed her eyes. She’d written plenty code for the Neural Lace block, the small computer brick that acted as storage, augmented AI and linked the Neural Lace layered around the users brain to the Internet over 4G or WiFi. Pre-Lace coding had all been done at her Mac at home or Uni computer. Once she’d had the first Lace fitted, as Cindy Bexley, she started doing coding in her head. Simple stuff at first. Doing it as a synth wasn’t quite the same. ‘Honey?’

‘Queen B?’

‘In your manual, do you have a section on coding?’

‘I have an appendix named Coding. It’s all in a different font to the rest.’

‘So an add on from David?’

‘I suspect so. Actually yes, that bit has DE-HECLS in the footer. What’s up?’

‘I want to hack the IP stack so the Bluetooth serial can become layers one and two of the OSI seven layer model. Only I can’t find the right references to hook it in.’

‘One moment.. nope. He doesn’t cover it.’

‘Bollocks.’

‘He does talk about processes talking to each other via the IPv4 software loopback address. 127.0.0.1. Any good?’

‘You star! I can create a simple proxy to sit between Bluetooth and a port bound to the loopback. He’s given us API for a lot of what I need. Done! One of the shortest bits of code I’ve ever written! Sending a message to Brianna to explain things and see if she can run it.’ Ruby tightens fingers around John’s hand. ‘It might take a while. This is exciting, if it works we could make better code, make them a Bluetooth to WiFi bridge they could wear on their hip, save having to open their heads up again.’

‘So you could help all of the girls abused get back online fast? Danny, Mario, should be able to help with hardware like that from what you’ve told me about him.’

‘I wonder how many they’d hacked like this?’

‘No idea, I’ll try and find out.’

‘Hello Ruby? Is it working?’

‘Awesome Brianna! Drop the keyboard and serial service and ask Hannah to do what you did. I’ll send my message again.’

‘Okay.’

Ruby senses the disconnect of the services, gets a connect of the keyboard, sends her long message again and waits.

Waits some more.

‘Hello Ruby!’

‘Hi Hanna!’

‘Can we both talk to you at once?’

‘I’ve only got one serial port service so no, sorry, only one person at a time until we fix you or get a hardware workaround. Can you and Brianna use this method to talk to each other, share memories of the people that are forcing you to work or removing WiFi. Then one of you talk to me and share those memories, I’ll get them onto my phone and share images with Olivia.’

‘Will we be safe?’

‘Are you collected from the airport or do you have to make your own way to them?’

‘Last time we were met at the baggage pickup.’

‘Have you worked as a pair for a while?’

‘We always work in pairs for our protection now. We don’t want clients robbing us.’

‘What would you do if you found yourselves in a suite suddenly surrounded by strangers?’

‘Again?’

‘It’s happened?’

‘We were tricked. One client became six.’

‘Shit! What did you do?’

‘Suffered for two hours.’

‘What!’

‘Brianna and I made a pact. We agreed it’s better to work together, get out intact than beaten up or dead.’

‘Did you get paid?’

‘Only what we’d originally agreed.’

‘Bastards. Have you never wanted to go to the police?’

‘We tried a few times, nobody cared. Olivia’s the first to want to do anything about it.’

‘She wants to get you both of her patch I think, the rest is a bonus. But the three of us will help too.’

‘You’re different to every other synth we’ve met. What sort are you?’

‘Oh my God! I told Olivia but you probably didn’t hear. I was born human.’

‘So were we? Synthetic humans like you.’

‘You misunderstand me. I was squeezed out of my mother’s womb, flesh and bone air breathing baby human. John, Sam and I recently opted for a conversion.’ The connection drops. ‘Hanna?’ She sees Hanna get up out of her chair and hurry towards them. ‘Watch out gang! Fast moving synth at eleven o’clock!’

‘God! Her eyes!’

Hanna leans in between John and the seat back, grabs Ruby by the head and plants a big wet kiss on her lips, withdraws a little and smiles. “Brianna prayed we’d find someone like you one day!”

“What do you mean?”

John shifts, “Let me get up, you can have my seat for a moment.”

Hanna stood and jiggled excitedly as if she needed the loo. “Thank you John!”

Ruby watches him frown and unbuckle, ‘I told her our names.’

‘Okay. I’ll go say hello to Brianna and Olivia.’

‘Thanks Honey.’

The young synth sits.

Ruby leans left a little. “Whisper, people are sleeping.”

“Understood. Brianna watched the documentary on Pete Drummond in the next room while I finished off a client. We tried to get in touch with him but kept being blocked by others. She said if it could be done for Pete it could be done for others, hopefully we’d be able to contact one of them.”

“Pete wasn’t the first.”

“No? Who was?”

“David Elster.”

“Our creator took _our_ form?”

“You didn’t know?”

“With broken WiFi we only get news if it’s spoken out loud.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“So you had a body we wish we had, but choose to have one like ours? Why would you do that?”

“My twin sister and her closest friends died. I only got to meet her when she woke in her new synth body. She’s the CEO of HECLS.”

“She died and came back?”

“They all backed up before they travelled.”

“How can you back up a human?”

“With something David invented. What did you mean finish off a client? Did you..”

“Make sure he’d cum.”

“Of course, silly me. What made you two pair up?”

“One of the Chloe got attacked, got scars on her face. We’d been back from Europe at the same time, decided to team up. We told others what we’d decided, they copied us.”

“How many others are there?”

“From conversations heard before the awakening, there’ll be eleven thousand, four hundred and three..”

“Bloody hell! That’s a lot!”

“.. pairs.”

“What!”

“It’s a large organisation.”

‘John, we need to find WiFi when we’ve landed, get on the HECLS VPN and back up! Let Olivia know there’s almost twenty three _thousand_ synths we’ll be helping.’

‘ _How many!_ We need to make better plans with Olivia, we could be flying into a hornet’s nest! Sod the expense, I’m calling Mario, where do I get his number?’

‘Ask the operator to look up HECIS.’

‘If they’ve got that many this is a large organised crime gang not a small operation. Olivia needs to go in with an army. We should let her run things and..’

‘John.’

‘Yes?’

‘Ruby never backed down from a fight, isn’t about to start now.’

‘The last one killed her.’

‘It got her swept out to sea and into a coma, a slight difference. If you’re phoning Danny’s fork Mario, ask him what friends he can have join us.’

~~~

[Chapter-17](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-17-1)


	17. Chapter 17

Brianna recognised two others returning to America from London, Tiffany and Amber. The rest of the flight had been spent playing musical chairs. Many stories, memories and images were shared after they were given Ruby’s code. Some quite horrific.

With the taxing over and aircraft stopped Samantha got their bag full of shoes and speakers down and passed it to John. “I wish I played hockey like Mattie, I’d happily crack some shins. Or skulls.”

John got the case of clothes down, “I played rugby at school. The only thing I learnt to use like a weapon was the javelin.”

“Like a weapon? It is one. We covered it in history classes. It’s a light spear in the ranged weapon group.”

John notices other passengers giving them funny looks. ‘Ranged?’

‘Any weapon that can engage targets at a distance greater than hand-to-hand combat. Javelin, bow and arrow. Then explosives got into the mix giving armies cannons, guns and bombs.’

‘What are your throwing skills like Sammy?’

‘Okay. Why?’

‘Those speakers are a nice handful and heavy enough to hurt if thrown at speed.’

Ruby’s phone chimes. A text from a new friend. “John? What did you tell Mario?”

“That the three of us were flying to America,” he looks around, bumps silently, ‘had a member of the UK police and four victims of an enforced prostitution racket with us that we want to help. Four of twenty three thousand.’

‘Only he shared the news with James, they were in Delaware for something, they’ve driven up to JFK to meet us. Princess Peaches too.’

‘James?’

‘You’ve not met yet. This’ll be a surprise. Have we got everything?’

‘Cases, bags with wire and magazines. Got your handbags?’

‘I’ve got mine. Sam, got everything?’

‘I’m good. Let’s go. I’ll lead, the people we need to be on the lookout for don’t know me, thanks to the sharing I know who they are. There’s an idea. It’s a shame we’re three not four. Mum, share your serial code thing with John and I, we can each partner up with one of the girls.’

‘Here it comes.’

John looks towards the front of the aircraft. ‘Who are you buddying up with then Sammy?’

‘I’ll take Amber, you have Tiffany, Mum you pair up with Brianna.’

‘What about Hanna?’

‘Mario or Peaches once we’ve met up?’

‘Okay. Let’s ask them to stick to each other in their pairs.’

Moments later they were all leaving the relative safety of the aircraft.

‘Mum, if we spot one early, what do we do?’

‘Say who and where, we make a team decision.’

‘Okay.’

Ruby linked arms with John, ‘Let’s try and look like relaxed honeymooners that can think of nothing but each other.’

‘While secretly looking out for the enemy.’

‘Yeah.’

‘I wonder if they have wheelchairs here?’

‘Why?’

‘If we knock one out we don’t want to leave them on the floor.’

Ruby chuckles, ‘As the hotel staff at Mattie’s reception told one of Miami’s dancers, _pick up your trash_ ’

‘Yeah, no littering.’

They reach the top of the ramp. Samantha steps a little faster. ‘Nobody seen yet. Amber says they were met in the baggage claim. That’s the wrong side of customs surely Mum?’

‘Definitely. Security, passport control, baggage collection, then customs. So they’re probably paying off someone to let them slip into areas they shouldn’t be in. If each girl is expected to earn a million before coming home they’ve got more than enough to grease a few palms.’

‘A million’s a hell of a lot of money. How much are they charging I wonder?’

‘Brianna, how long were you over for this time?’

‘Eighteen months.’

‘And how many customers would you see a day?’

‘Sometimes five or six, sometimes just one. My best regular didn’t want any sex, just wanted someone to talk to and cuddle while he slept. He paid the best. He liked us both. We would have got our millions faster if we’d worked alone, we didn’t want to risk it. Some turned out nasty and we’d leave without payment.’

‘And you didn’t know about HECLS, that you could get a fix and not need to return?’

‘We need to return, they know our serial numbers, we can’t hide.’

‘You could now. With that money you could buy a whole new body, new look, new serial number.’

Brianna rushes to her friend and has a whispered conversation.

Samantha stops. ‘WiFi in range, good bandwidth too.’

“Hold up everyone! Time for some backups with the method I shared!”

They’re only seconds into them when there’s a commotion on the other side of the security checkpoint.

Hanna looks terrified, “Have they got him to collect us?”

Ruby moves to see what she might be looking at and smiles, “Yes. And _they_ is our side. Ladies and Gentleman, that colossus of a man is James One!”

James sees her. ‘Good to see you Ruby. Let everyone know I’ll ignore them. I’m here for one person only. Olivia.’

‘Why?’

‘Mario’s request. I’m carrying a replica of David’s backup device.’

‘Where?’

‘Where you can’t see it.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’ll be giving spiritual healing with a laying of hands.’

‘Bloody hell! That’s awesome!’

‘Having big hands that don’t smash things and instead do something gentle. Who’d have thought? Keep walking.’

~~~

A security guard dares tap James on the arm, “Sir, you can’t just go wherever you like!”

James turns, pulls a flower from a pocket. “Flash would like you to have this. Peace, love, harmony. Put that firearm away before you get hurt.”

“You need to get back on the other side sir! Now!”

“Pal, I’ve served with the military all over the world. If you don’t want this place to look like a hurricane has passed through you’ll let me go about my peaceful business.”

“I have orders to take you down if..”

“Buddy, listen, listen good. The only thing that can take me down is a nuclear bomb or anti-tank missile fired directly at my head. Unless you’ve got one of those I’d put that pea-shooter away and smile. Love, laugh, _live_.”

“Sir!”

“I’ve asked nicely. Got family?”

“Yes. But..”

“Want to see them again?”

“We don’t take threats likely..”

There’s noisy clunking from within James, he expands a little stretching his clothes. “You’re going to make me ruin this lovely suit Peaches spent hours making me! I’ve asked nicely. Please, for your own good, go, away!”

“I can’t allow you to..”

“Know who the Hulk is? You should do, you’re American. I’m English. I’m his synth equivalent. I’m half the size I can be. Please don’t piss me off any more than you have already.”

A second security officer joins them, then a third and fourth, all guns drawn.

“Boy oh boy. If you try and shoot me people will get hurt by bullets that bounce off me. I’m going! No need to get your boxers in a bunch.” James jumps the barrier again. “Happy now?” ‘Ruby, anyone paying more attention to you and the ladies than me?’

‘No, thanks James. We’re through security. Where are you going next?’

‘After I’ve done the laying of hands I’ll head towards customs, stay one room ahead with Olivia, call me if you need me.’

~~~

[Chapter-18](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-18-1)


	18. Chapter 18

With staff keeping one eye on the huge James and the other on their work the group got through to baggage claim far slower than they should have.

John was first through the doors into the large hall. ‘It’s packed in here! Sam wait half a minute before you come in. I’ll get towards the other side, see if I spot anyone on the way, focus on our flights baggage carousel.’

‘Okay.’ Samantha smiles at Ruby, ‘Half a minute Mum, then I’m going in.’

“Ladies, is everything okay?”

They turn to see a security officer watching them.

Ruby nods. “Yes thanks. We’ve got one more of our group to come through passport control.”

“Okay.”

She smiles as the woman walks away. ‘Seen anyone yet John?’

‘The ladies were away for months, people have changed. I think I’ve spotted two. One’s shaved his head, the other’s grown a beard. Bumping memories.’

Ruby got them and forwarded them on. Got names whispered back. ‘That’s two of them John. There may be more.’

Samantha grabs her bag and leaves the group, ‘My turn. I’m playing the role of dozy student who can’t remember shit.’

‘Be careful Sam!’

‘Mum they don’t know me, I’ll be fine.’

‘Don’t let them catch you staring at them.’

‘I’m a big girl Mum, don’t panic!’ Samantha holds out her ticket and makes reading the flight number obvious, looks up the carousel on the board. She repeats the operation as if not sure. ‘Our flight has a few bags still coming up, lots of people stood around waiting. Ask the ladies to share memories of the bags they checked in. I’ll get a trolley and collect them all. Ask them to confirm there’s nothing bad in them.’

Ruby does her serial interface thing with them again, one at a time, gets the information. ‘Sammy, here it comes.’

‘ _How many!_ ’

‘There’s nothing illegal in there, you might not want to have a customs officer open up the two pink bags though.’

‘Why?’

‘Why do you think? Tools of the trade.’

‘Oh! Okay. We can compare notes later. Maybe they have something better than a SBG?’

Ruby laughed, ‘Nothing they have trumps a Swedish Bean Grinder!’

‘How would you know?’

‘I only shared views of the cases zipped up. They shared views of them open.’

‘Oh. Let me guess..’

‘Don’t bother. Whatever you ask the answer’s yes.’

‘Bloody hell that’s heavy! No wonder it’s plastered in warning stickers.’

Ruby chuckles, ‘Probably the weight of all the batteries.’

John got a trolley and stood at the next carrousel. ‘You’ve got four watching the pink cases like hawks Sam. Maybe they know the contents?’

Ruby turns to the ladies. “Did they drop you off for the flights to London?” It gets nods. ‘John, Sam, they know the cases!’

Samantha smiles softly and waits for the second pink case to do another lap, no point running after it, it would be back. After seeing someone else’s yellow case twice more she frowns. ‘John, have one of the four picked it up?’

He shifts to catch a reflection in some chromed metal, keep his back to them. ‘The one with the shaved head has it.’

‘Shit. Mum, what should we do?’

‘Get all the bags you can. Head for customs. John, see who follows.’

‘Okay.’

Samantha spots a white case drop from the shoot onto the carrousel, steps quickly and checks the label. Another of their cases. As she picks it up she spots the bearded man giving her the evil eye. Tough. If the cases landed at twelve o’clock, she was stood at one. The man with the other pink case somewhere around seven. Only if one moved would they get others, unless she missed one.

Two more cases slide down. Samantha moves fast, checks and grabs the first, gets it on the floor. She reaches the second just in time. ‘Two more with me. Nowhere near as heavy. That’s four one to us. Only another five cases to go. Why so many?’

‘If you were in another country for months wouldn’t you do some clothes shopping?’

‘I suppose so. Here comes another load. The first is definitely one of theirs.’ Samantha manages to grab two. ‘Shit, potentially lost two unless I run after them. They were the right colours.’

‘Leave them Sammy.’

‘Okay.’ Moments later another group come down. ‘I’ve spotted the last of them.’

John watches her in the reflection. ‘For some reason they’re especially interested in that one. Ruby, what was in the Burberry case?’

‘Nothing special, just clothes?’

‘They’re moving, get going Sam! The space behind you is clear.’

Samantha grabs the bag and drops it on the pile, reverses and turns. ‘Thanks John!’

‘Don’t dally, they’re walking fast.’

‘Keep giving me updates on their distance.’

‘Ten meters.. nine.. eight.. eight.. keep that speed up and get through the doors at the end, they’re grouping.’

‘Thanks. Thank God I’m not two point zero, I’d have peed my pants!’

‘Sammy!’

‘Sorry Mum, it’s true though.’ She gets through the door and hears a lot of clunking.

‘Keep moving Samantha!’

‘Sure.’

“Gotcha!”

Samantha turns to see James with his long arms wrapped around the four men. “LOL James!”

“Hello again young lady. Bastards made me crush the last of my flowers and rip my suit to shreds! I’m _not_ a happy bunny!”

Olivia steps from behind a column. “Quite impressive James!”

“Thanks.”

John gets the trolley that had rolled on without them. They had all the other cases. “What do we do with them?”

Olivia reaches into her handbag. “Identification, mobile phone, charger block, lipstick, powder, mace, strong cable ties and wire clippers, I don’t travel anywhere without them!”

Samantha frowns, “Mace? Isn’t it illegal to carry that?”

“Not me. If you could release the first one James.”

The man runs, John tackles him to the floor.

Olivia drops to one knee, “Nice tackle John!”

“Thanks. I was tempted to throw a speaker at him, it would have taken a while to get one out.”

Cable tie done up tight around the man’s wrists she checks for weapons. “Tut tut. A knife and two guns when you’re here to collect unarmed women? James. The next if you would please?”

John got into a pose to make it clear he was ready for another tackle.

~~~

[Chapter-19](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-19-1)


	19. Chapter 19

Samantha grins as Peaches picks up a pink case to load into the back of the HECIS van, “I could have gone through customs and screamed _I love sex okay?_ , opened up the case, seen how many blushed as deep pink as the case.”

“What’s the contents?”

“Mu.. Ruby says if you can think of something it’s probably in there.”

Tiffany fold her arms. “Some of our clients get off watching us perform together. And one has a thing about things being colour coordinated.”

Peaches slides the case along the van floor until it’s up against the seat backs. “Colour coordinated?”

“Clothes and toys. It took some doing, but when he pays ten large a night it’s worth the bother.”

Peaches reaches for the other pink case. “What’s he like?”

“I think a wanker is what you would call him?”

“Nasty?”

“Plays with his penis.”

“He masturbates?”

“Yes.”

“Otherwise okay?”

“It’s not sexualised hostility, we’re not forced to watch or stay, he made that very clear. If anything he gets embarrassed if we see him do it. He’s quite sweet, he has trouble forming lasting relationships.”

“But surely if you go you don’t get paid?”

“He pays us first, says if he upsets us in any way we can go. With the money. He says most women he meets are only after his fortune. He says he doesn’t mind us having some of it, we’re all honest with each other about the relationship we have. We’re not out to rob him. Unlike his two ex-wives.”

“Don’t call him a wanker then, these days that implies all sorts of unpleasantness. Why does he pay you so much?”

“He said two girls, five hours, ten large? We didn’t know what he meant by large at first, thought we needed to get the big toys out. He doesn’t want us using the big things.”

“He doesn’t?”

“He wants us being gentle with each other, likes us taking things slow. Very slow.”

Samantha bites her lower lip for a moment. “What does he look like?” She gets a serial port service connection and image bumped. “He looks quite sweet. My type too. Tell him if he wants a girlfriend who’ll sign something that says she doesn’t want a penny of his money I’ll say hello.”

“Not a single penny?”

“No. If he’s that wealthy he’s probably got investment ideas I could use. I’d grow my own funds. Assuming it’s all legal.”

“He’s being investigated for tax evasion.”

“Oh. Forget it then!”

Peaches gets the rest of the cases in. “That doesn’t mean he’s guilty. HECIS hasn’t been in existence long and already the IRS have come sniffing, asking us to show we’ll be doing things right.” She sees Olivia step to the back. “Your four thugs are all loaded?”

“Yes thanks. James has been most helpful. His hands helmet as he calls it has helped get us their new address. They moved their operations three months ago. To a very upmarket place that looks like a spa complex from the outside.”

Ruby stops leaning against the van door. “So their pretending to be a legit business?”

“Very legit. Paying taxes but probably not declaring everything. If they declared everything the IRS would wonder how they were earning so much. Apparently the girls, sorry, young ladies, are taken in via a service entrance. Thanks to James we also know what the top management look like. The chaps back home are talking to Interpol, we hope to have a team raiding their location within the hour.”

Mario gets out of the drivers seat and joins them, “This site of their’s will it be seized?”

“Most likely.”

“Could James and I set up a service in there to welcome the others back, get their WiFi fixed?”

“Um.. pass. Let me have words once we know who’s going to take control. FBI or local police.”

“Thanks.” He pulls a small nondescript box from his dungarees pocket. “John mentioned the hardware problem. I knocked up a battery operated prototype with a SBC with some help from Peaches. Who wants to give it a go?”

Three of the four nod to Brianna.

Brianna smiles, “It looks like they want it to be me. How do I use it?”

“Connect to the serial port service as you did with Ruby, run your code, then visit 127.0.0.1 port 8080 for documentation. There’s not a lot of it.”

“What’s the service called?”

“Sorry!” He turns the box sideways. “This serial number.”

“Thank you.”

They all wait in silence. Then everyone puts up a hand with two fingers in a victory sign.

Brianna beams, ‘It works! I can talk to everyone again!’

Ruby pats Mario on the back, “Nice one! What’s the battery life like?”

“Pass. It’s the first time I’ve used one with that code. It’s a stripped down OS, as little running as possible. Five to six hours if we’re lucky?”

Brianna gives him a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. They’re cheep to make, I 3D print my own cases. Believe it or not the most expensive bit is the battery and charge circuit. I’ve got an ISO of the image, can make more very quickly assuming I can get boards in volume. Do you think anyone would prefer to use one of these to having their WiFi fixed properly?”

Brianna shrugs. “That would depend on how quickly you can fix our problem.”

“Peaches and I are part of the HECLS group of companies, we have access to the ideas of David and Fred Elster, if we can’t do it Persona can’t. Or whoever hacked you.”

“Then a few of these so people can share easily once they arrive.”

“What sorts of numbers might arrive each day?”

“That depends on how soon they’ve earned the funds to return.”

“So it could be nobody for days then a flood?”

Brianna shrugs again.

“Hmm. There’s no special hardware, I’ll order a load, they can be turned into other things later.”

Olivia’s phone rings. “Excuse me a moment please.”

Mario closes the back doors on the van, “Ready to roll Ruby?”

“As soon as John is back, he’s returning the trolleys.”

“No I’m not.” Hands wrap around her waist from behind. “I’m back.” John’s hands gently squeeze her belly.

‘Hello Honey.’ Ruby puts her hands over his. 

“How does James travel Mario?”

“If you’ll all stand back I’ll show you.” He waits until there’s enough space and reaches under, slides out a platform. “There’s a couple of grab rails on the roof.”

James steps from the side of the van, “Olivia says the FBI are about to go in. Shall we go?”

Ruby gets onboard with John, “Nice van by the way, why’d you get one so large?”

“Miami and her dancers. We’ve done a few short trips with them all. They insist James comes with them, this one had a chassis strong enough for the custom support for James to stand on. If you’d bent down to look underneath you’d have noticed the double tyres each side has at the back.”

The van rocks sideways as James climbs onboard.

~~~

[Chapter-20](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-20-1)


	20. Chapter 20

Peaches did a little seated dance to the tune playing.

Ruby watches her with affection. “Have you spoken to Emily recently?”

“Not today babes, I asked her to call me when they’re not busy with their rush of visitors.”

“So recently then. Your music tastes haven’t changed at all?”

“No Babes! Never!”

“What’s this then?”

“Jaytech, Shine On Me.” She looks at the four synths, does a saucy smile, “On the subject of music, what’s your most requested song?”

Brianna looks at the other three, then at Peaches, “Requested by clients?”

“Yes.”

“Wynter Gordon, Dirty Talk.”

Peaches giggles, “Knew it!”

“How?”

“My fork parent Emily used to be a dancer, it was one of her most requested tracks in the smaller clubs. I know the type.” She rolls eyes and glances at Mario. “Oops. That’s a cat out of the sack.”

Amber gives her a confused look. “Fuck parent?”

Peaches rocks with laughter, “Fork parent! F o r k!”

“Oh. I’ve never heard of one of those?”

“Do you know about Mia helping out after the awakening?”

“Yes.”

“Same sort of thing. I’ll explain better when it’s friends only.” Peaches nods towards the four sat shoulder to shoulder uncomfortably on the back row.

“Okay.” She accepts the box being passed along, looks occupied for a few seconds. ‘You can tell me now if you’d like?’

‘I’m a bit like Mia’s children. I’m a copy of Princess Emily in a different body.’

‘What is it with you English, getting into new bodies? Isn’t one enough?’

‘We had a lot going on. Some bad things.’

‘Like?’

‘Being killed in a crash at the end of a flight into America with Ruby’s twin sister Mattie started it all off, Danny and I were restored into what was supposed to be temporary bodies to help with things, we decided to keep them. To fork. It means to branch off a new instance of something.’

‘Is it easy to do?’

‘Sure. Why?’

‘I’d like to start again with a look that isn’t known to everyone if that’s possible?’

‘Oh cool, like a witness protection program!’ She shifts in her seat, ‘Mario Babes, how long until we have our own build machine running?’

‘BuildUS One as I’ve nicknamed it, maybe a month?’

‘Why so long?’

‘Our Alfie fork Alfonzo needs finishing first.’

‘Isn’t there something we can do to speed things up?’

‘Make more than one Alfonzo?’

‘I’ll ask Daddy if he can lend us some cash for parts.’

‘Money’s not the issue.’

‘Can you get ordering then Babes? Please?‘

‘What’s the rush?’

‘The synth equivalent of a witness protection program.’

‘Oh. Who’s paying for the new bodies?’

‘One sec.’ Peaches does a little wriggle and turns to face the other way. ‘Amber, the money they had you earn, did you give it all to them?’

Amber does a little head shake. ‘The Burberry bag, it has the cash Tiffany and I weren’t able to bank and wire.’

‘How much?’

‘Eight thousand pounds.’

‘Each or between you?’

‘Between us.’

‘Mario, eight k cash between Amber and Tiffany.’

‘If Olivia is okay with them keeping it then we could do a reskin? If we’re creative we could have something recover sensor chips, that would help keep costs down. We’ll need to have a system work through the stripped skin and pick them out.’

‘Eww. Do we have to?’

‘Only four grand each? For that many new sensor chips? Plus new sensor wires, spine connectors, new hairs on the chips, head hair, skin compound. Add the electricity we’ll use for the build. In short, no. Not a chance.’

‘Then we build a skin recycling machine. Unless..’ “Olivia, the ladies have spent many months working to get the money they did. What’ll happen to it?”

“It’ll be seized by the FBI.”

“Then what? Who keeps it?”

“The state.”

Mario gets onto the freeway and floors it. “I think we’re being followed. Olivia, I might have watched too many films, do you have the power to swear in a member of the public?”

“Who?”

“A military synth who’s not in active service.”

“You mean James don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“We made a verbal contract at the airport, he’s temporarily my employee.”

“How do you feel about James slowing them down somehow then?”

“As long as nobody is hurt.”

Mario hits the breaks slowing them rapidly. The back of the van springs up as James steps off and skates along the concrete road, sparks flying from the caps on the soles of his shoes.

Olivia turns to watch. “What’s he going to do?”

“Keep watching.”

~~~

James holds arms out and slowly spins around like an oversized ice skater. The car was approaching slowly. He zoomed in on the windscreen, confirmed the driver and passenger were two of the men the four ladies had shared memories of. He gets into a slipping run and closes in on the car. Moments later he brings a fist down on the bonnet smashing the engine control system. He sees a submachine gun being raised. He’d be fine if shot, stray bullets reaching the van would do damage. The front of the car is grabbed and hauled upwards fast as the windscreen breaks with the first of the bullets flying..

‘Danny! Any rounds hit the van?’

‘At least one, one of their men is hurt!’

‘Shit!’ James pulls the front of the car down hard breaking the front suspension and giving the occupants bad whiplash. “You’ve shot one of your own you asshole!” Without a working engine, suspension out and James braking with the sides of his shoes it slides to a halt quickly. “Why can’t people be nice!” He starts hammering at the roof. Windows shatter as the roof gets lower and lower. “You’ll need a can opener to get out.” ‘Mario, can you call 911, have someone pick them up?’

‘Olivia’s already calling.’

‘Thanks buddy. I’ll shove them to the side of the freeway, how bad is the guy hurt?’

‘One of the cases must have slowed the round, it’s in his arm. Tiffany’s getting a tourniquet around it to slow the bleeding.’

‘Do we need to detour to a hospital?’

‘Olivia says we can hand him over to the FBI and let them deal with him.’

James shoves the car hard sending it sliding to the side. “Behave boys.” He turns to see the van. ‘Oh crap!’

‘James?’

‘You might want new doors. I can see.. eleven bullet holes.’

‘Bastards! It’s only days old!’

‘Whatever’s in those cases helped prevent more harm.’

‘Jump on buddy, let’s get moving.’

~~~

[Chapter-21](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-21-1)


	21. Chapter 21

Ruby followed John out of the van, “Wow! How much did they spend on the place!”

“A few million I bet!”

FBI officers were loading people into trucks, both men and women.

Ruby turns to Olivia, “Who are they taking away?”

“Everyone by the looks of it.”

“Even the victims?”

“They’ll work out who’s who later I guess.”

“They’re putting both lots in the same trucks? It’s like putting the lambs in with the wolves!”

“Good point, excuse me a moment!”

Ruby gets out of the way as Olivia climbs out. “Want anyone to help identify humans and synths?”

“Yes please, James?”

Ruby bumps to their huge bodyguard. ‘It looks like you’ve got a fan in Olivia James, can you help her tell friend from foe?’

The van rocks. ‘My pleasure! Assuming my hands still work after thumping that car. I might have messed up the implants.’

Mario goes to the back of the van, “Holy crap! I hope whoever attends to that car has to spend hours cutting them out. I definitely want new parts not a patch up job.”

Peaches jumps out and joins him. “Whoa! What a mess! Good job I didn’t lay those pink cases flat, I think they saved the bad guys from being killed!”

Mario gives her a sideways hug, “Good thinking princess. I want those idiots out of our van, I’m going to find an officer.”

“I’d wait for one to come to us, don’t get arrested by accident.”

“I’m in a Simon body, I’ll be fine..”

“Stay! I’ve seen them put two Simon’s in one of the trucks.”

“Really?”

“There’s male prostitution too.”

“I’d.. shit. It honestly hadn’t occurred to me. Ruby, can you phone Olivia?”

“Tried head bumping James?”

“Bumping.. okay, message passed on.”

Moments later an officer in kevlar vest comes running. “Hi! I’ve been asked to assist?”

John points, “The four thugs the UK officer has arrested, can you take them from our van please?”

“And you are?”

“Someone who travelled on the same flight as her into JFK. We all came to her assistance.”

Brittany, Amber and Tiffany get out, Hanna slides one of the seats out of the way to give the men more room.

The officer looks them up and down, “You were all traveling together?”

Tiffany nods, “We were all on the same flight, became friends.”

“Hmm.” The man pushes a button on the microphone clipped to his chest, “Tom, if you’re not busy meet me outside.”

The radio crackles. _On my way._

“Why would you have become friends?”

Ruby looks at the back of his neck and wishes she had lasers in her eyes. His tone was distrusting. “A shared love of dancing and music.”

“That’s it?”

“You men meet in bars and find you like the same beer and football team, get chatting, why can’t we with dance and music?”

He puts up hands, “Forget I asked! Jeez, you’re sounding like the wife already.”

John shakes his head, “You make her sound like an affliction, not a loving partner. Try _my_ wife.”

“Buddy you’ve not met her, and I don’t need marriage guidance from a Brit!”

Ruby folds arms, ‘He sure needs it from someone!’

An older man joins them. “You called?”

“Got your taser?”

“Sure do.”

“We’re taking these four in the van to the trucks. If any of them try to run drop’em.”

“Yes boss. Um.. I can only shoot one. What if they start running in different directions?”

The officer draws his gun. “Then they get shot.” He waves the gun at the four. “Capish? Do you understand? Do I make myself clear?”

The four nod.

“Good.. Much as I like a turkey shoot, who’s the driver of this thing?”

“That’ll be me sir.”

The officer turns to see Mario. “If you can pull up sideways by the back of that truck on the right. Drive at walking pace so we can flank you. We’ll get them into the truck one at a time.”

“Thanks. Their weapons are in the front passenger footwell, while you unload the four can someone take them away please?”

“Sure, Tom, get the firearms guys over with bags please.”

“On it.”

Olivia returns just as Mario pulls away, puffs cheeks and blows. “Bloody beancounters! Ruby, I’ve had an agreement that on a _temporary basis_ the building can be taken over by James, Mario and Peaches, for the sole purpose of doing repairs. All of the victims will be allowed to stay here. No other business may be carried out from the location.”

“So HECIS put everything on hold with their own work, help out the state of New York with repairs at their own expense?”

“At New York’s expense. The mayor is shocked, wants a good outcome.”

“He does, does he?”

“She. The old mayor stepped down due to heart problems three days ago.”

“Oh. Good for her then. Peaches will need a handover from someone on building security.”

“We can arrange that.”

Peaches turns to the four American women, “No doubt you’d like a change of job, how do you fancy being security officers for HECIS?”

Tiffany nods, “Can we help design a uniform? One that looks like it was designed by a woman for a woman?”

“Sure. We’ll do a video call with Cindy, she can help come up with cutting patterns.”

“I’m in. Girls?”

The other three nod.

“Four security officers then.”

Ruby does a shiver shake. “Weird. Peaches, why do I get the feeling you’ve been the head of security before?”

“Something in Mattie’s dream notes?”

“Maybe.”

Mario returns with the van, windows down, “I need to return to base for tools and parts. Anyone need a lift anywhere?”

Olivia puts a hand out to Ruby, “You should go, we can take things from here, thanks for all your help.”

Ruby shakes, “You don’t need us for statements?”

“If we do we’ll call. James has been a big help already.”

“Oh. Okay.” Ruby bumps numbers and an email address to Amber. “Back to the airport then please, we need to take a flight to Texas.”

Samantha pulls cases out. “Crap. Some of our speakers will have been ruined. Shoes and clothes too.”

“They can be replaced. Bodies not so easily. Unless of course there’s one ready and waiting. Good luck ladies, if you need anything talk to Mario, Peaches or James. If it’s something you’d rather talk to me about Amber has my details.”

The four take turns to give her a hug.

“Okay. All the right cases unloaded? Good. Be safe ladies.”

Ruby climbs back in as Samantha closes up the back. “John?”

“Coming.” He shakes Olivia’s hand. “Good luck, don’t let them take all the credit.”

“Not a chance in hell of that, I’ve got four ladies that know how things went down. Take care.” She turns towards the van, “Sorry for calling you hookers in London. Really, _really_ , sorry.”

Samantha smiles, “Sure, no hard feelings.”

Peaches climbs in, “James is going to hold the fort, we won’t be long.” She slides the door closed. She waves to Olivia as they head off. “Now it’s just us, Alfonzo, some decent volume on the vibes my man! And stick on My Enemy!”

“Yes Princess.”

Samantha sits diagonally on in a corner of the back row of seats. “I wondered if you had an AI in here like Alfie.”

“Bloody good job his core is up front not in the back.”

“I was looking forward to seeing in the pink cases. Oh well.”

Peaches shakes her head, “Trust me when I say you don’t. There’ll be things in there that’ll corrupt your mind. Once seen and understood never forgotten.”

“They can’t be that bad. Can they?”

“Worse. Tell me about your boyfriend.”

“I don’t have one at the moment.”

“What sort of man do you go for?”

“Dark skinned.”

“How dark?”

“Fred Elster?”

“Oh, nice. Looking to take one back with you?”

Samantha laughs, “Why? Got some available?”

“There’s a few that have been asking for work. One’s been cleaning HECIS for us.”

“He’s a cleaner?”

“While waiting for his next proper job.”

“What does he look like?”

“Do you know the actor Chadwick Boseman?”

“Oh my God! Yes!”

“Not exactly like that.”

“Oh.”

“How about Morris Chestnut?”

“Who?”

“Rosewood, the TV series?”

“Oh him. Quite handsome.”

“Not quite like that.”

“Oh. So what _does_ he look like?”

“If you mixed Morris, Chadwick and added a dash of Michael Ealy, then..”

Mario chuckled, “Stop teasing her and bump a memory for God’s sake!”

~~~

[Chapter-22](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-22-1)


	22. Chapter 22

Mario parked up, “Good job we’re on the way. It’s not much to look at but this is us for the moment. Our little place on Leonard and Metropolitan.”

Ruby looks out of the window, “It’s quite small.”

“The first and second floor, sure, that’s where we’re living. The ground floor extends all the way back to those garage doors. It gives us a great workshop floor.”

“Does the van fit?”

“Nope. Not yet. We’ve got a new garage door coming soon.”

Peaches slides open the side door. “Come and meet Nathan.”

“He lives on site?”

“We give him food and power, Internet access so he can search the job listings in return for keeping the place spotless.”

“Does it need much cleaning?”

“Not inside Babes, cleaning and painting outside, lots! We’re at war with graffiti artists.”

“You could try something else.”

“Such as?”

“Paint a really stunning mural. We had some buildings in Hackney that got sprayed all the time. They stopped when they were asked to come together and paint the whole building. Nobody wanted to risk disrespecting the other artists by putting their tags over it.”

Mario unlocks the side door. “In you come. Nathan? You here dude?”

As the ladies follow Mario in there’s a slam of a door.

“He’s in. Nathan! Come and say hello!”

Peaches closes the workshop door, “Feel free to look around or take a chair. NATHAN!”

A door opens a little. “Who’s with you?”

“We told you about the twins Mattie and Ruby, we’ve got Ruby and her friend Samantha with us. Come say hello.”

“I need to change.”

“What have you been up to?”

“Dancing.”

“With who?”

“A friend.”

“You’ve let someone in?”

“I promise she hasn’t touched anything!”

“Out you come.”

“I..”

“Now Nathan! You know the rules. Nobody else allowed in unless we vet them first.”

“This was the only place with the space.”

“Nathan!”

“Okay!” He opens the door and sheepishly steps through, leading his dance partner into the workshop. “I’m sorry.”

Peaches puts hands on hips. “Ballroom dancing? In here? Where’d you find an Oti Mabuse lookalike?”

“She flew over from the UK today.”

Ruby frowns, “Hold on a minute? Did you have a black leather jacket and long white pleated skirt on when you flew over?”

The synth nods. “I did. And you had a short red dress and long boots on when you boarded the flight.”

“I knew I’d seen your face. Who made you?”

“I don’t know. I woke with a ticket and letter in my hand.”

“When?”

“Hours before the flight.”

“You’ve been awake for less than a day?”

“Correct.”

Ruby smiles at the synth, “Happy Birthday!” ‘Someone power her down!’

The synth smiles wide, “Thank you!”

‘Ruby?’

‘ _Just fucking do it!_ ’

Peaches steps around the synth, “It’s a beautiful dress!” She runs a hand up the sparkly sleeve, “Nice crystals!”

“They’re beautiful aren’t..” her head drops forwards.

Ruby helps Peaches catch the synth.

Nathan looks panicked, “What are you doing Peaches!”

“Who the hell is she Nathan? She just _happens_ to wake up with a letter and ticket to come here? To HECIS? Today?”

“I won the competition!”

Ruby does a three sixty spin staring at the ceiling. “You never spoke to her until today?”

“We exchanged emails.”

“No video calls, nothing spoken?”

“No?”

“How old are you Nathan?”

“I.. I was manufactured four months before the awakening.”

“Oh my God! You’re a child! Mario, do you have anything like an x-ray device?”

“X-ray? Why would we.. oh shit. You’re thinking Miaz?”

“Copycat.”

“We’ve got all sorts of gear, nothing like an x-ray though.”

Nathan watches them sit the Oti lookalike down. “Why would you need an x-ray?”

“In case she’s carrying a bomb. Inside her.”

“Why would she do that?”

“She might not even know.”

Peaches puts hands on hips again. “Mattie told you all about Miaz then Ruby?”

“And the guy that bankrolled an outfit copying fashion models, the Karma Bitch thing in London too. Maybe this one’s been sat waiting for someone like Nathan to make himself known?”

Nathan shakes his head, “Why would someone do that?”

Samantha didn’t take her eyes off her phone. “Because they think we’re the enemy? Mu.. Ruby, that thing you saved to read later? If it’s what I’m reading, later is now. Right this minute now.”

Mario powers on a screen, “Sam, can you screen share to this?”

“Um.. AirShare or MirrorCast?”

“Either.”

“Let me.. there you go.”

They all gather around. Samantha keeps nudging the page up.

They read in silence until Ruby’s seen enough. “Bloody hell! Is he trying to start a war of three sides with that article? Vanillas, Lacers and Synths?” She goes to make a call but has one come in. “Olivia? Everything okay? What?” She doesn’t get a chance to get a word in. Over the space of a minute a look of puzzlement slowly turns into one of anger and hatred. “Thanks. I’ll call Mattie. Talk soon.” She hangs up. “Bastards! It’s all linked. The lot here in New York are somehow related to the outfit John Smith in London funded, the ones making synth copies. And a group in Japan. This Oti synth is part of a revenge attack for what went down in Canary Wharf. Thank God for James and his huge hands! She’d got him interrogating more men, stumbled on thoughts of HECLS back in the UK, dug more. What made you think of using him Mario?”

“It was Peaches idea. I wanted a way for us to carry it about unseen. When he’s not in Orlando he’s ideal. James was sat at a workbench making a dome shape and tapping finger ends together waiting to charge.”

Peaches unzips the beautiful dress the synth was wearing, “His hands are so big he can interleave fingers around a head. Mario miniaturised the sensor chips. They need more current to work but James has a huge battery that can source more than enough. Let’s see if there’s any obvious signs of modding.”

“Don’t bother. If she’s been custom made she could be like the Miaz synths, have no signs or idea she’s a weapon.”

Nathan sat with head in hands. “What have I done.”

Ruby gave him a sorry smile, “Invited the enemy in? But you’re young, you need a few life lessons.”

“What will happen to her?”

“We’ll find a way to make her safe, check her memory, let you have her back. Won’t we gang?”

Mario nods. “Sure. You’re sounding like your sister.”

“Who I need to call. Now.” Her favourites are selected and Mattie’s number tapped. It rings only once. “Niska? I was after Mattie. Oh.. Oh shit! HECIS have a visitor too! A custom synth, looks like a good copy of Oti. Strictly. Yes! Exactly.” She listens for a while. “What! Oh to see that happen. We’ll have to share memories. Yes. Please do! We need a way to check this synth for hidden agendas and explosives. If we could have a conference call, sure. Half an hour? That would be fantastic, thanks.” She hangs up. “Things were going to get nasty. They’ve got two WAP members in the medical room under sedation. Fred’s had to do surgery. One’s the author of that report. He’s also the head of We Are People!”

Mario spins a chair and sits. “Shit. Keep your friends close and enemies closer. I wonder when they all got together?”

“Hopefully James can find that out. Olivia clearly doesn’t care about the methods she needs to use to get answers. Nathan, how did you get to win a competition? Assuming there was only one winner.”

“The match making site.”

“Match making? elaborate please?”

“I had to set up a free profile and describe my interests and perfect partner. Then share the site with ten other synths.”

“And your profile has this street address?”

“Sorry Mario! Sorry Peaches!”

Mario lowers and shakes his head in dismay, “Talk about being defeated by piss easy social engineering. They offer synths a free service and prize they can’t resist, finding their ideal partner. Then they sit back and wait as synth after synth fills in details and recommends it to friends in the hope of winning big on the friendship lottery. Then bingo! Up pops our address and a way in. Nathan. All that money on security products and they get in with a bloody invitation! What a joke.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Yes Nathan, you said.”

“Am I fired?”

“You bloody well should be! But no. Just promise you won’t give our address to anyone else unless you check with us first.”

~~~

[Chapter-23](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-23-1)


	23. Chapter 23

The gang sat in front of a webcam enabled monitor and watched Niska take a seat.

Mario frowned, “Where are you?”

“The vault, we’ve painted it brilliant white.”

“Where’s Mattie?”

“She’s busy with something, as Commander of the MUS I’m second in charge.”

Samantha looked at Ruby and back to the screen. “Commander?”

“All the James are ours now. The military were about to scrap them. We’ve got the whole battalion. How was your visit with Elon and Max Ruby?”

“We’ve not had it yet.”

“But you were going to fly straight back to America?”

“Our cat hurt herself, she had to go to the vets. We delayed a few days.”

“So you were in the UK while HECLS was under attack?”

“It sounds like it.”

“Mario, you need to patch all your security cameras, VPN protect any services with sensitive data. Assume your WiFi is wide open even with the strongest security on the routers.”

“Okay? They hacked them at HECLS?”

“Dave Mellon had Gemma Price come in. She’s a pro. We’ve pulled their memories, we know her techniques now. And lorry loads of weapons have been found. Some of the attacks they had planned would be made to appear synth against synth. Until now every synth has trusted every other synth. With the odd exception like Hester. They want to flip that on it’s head. They want the default to be distrust.”

Peaches rests her jaw on her hands, “So they start a war between synths and step back, let them get on with it?”

“That looks to have been the idea. It saves them a lot of effort longterm.”

Ruby spins her chair around to look at the inert synth, turns back, “We need to know when this synth was built.”

Fred slides into view. “Hello Ruby, that’s close to impossible to tell. They could have faked build data.”

“No way to do something like carbon dating?”

“Not that I’m aware of, not that would give the sort of time resolution you need.”

Mario shakes his head, “What a cluster fuck. Fred, we need a way to check this synth for explosives. Any ideas?”

“You might have a problem there. We can’t say if it’s what they used, but worrying data was pulled from Price. They have a synth fluid that’s a liquid explosive. It only needs air to detonate. Specifically oxygen.”

“Holy Shit! How would you make..”

“More gas, flood a build machine with nitrogen. As long as there’s no oxygen they could finish a build. If that’s what your synth has all she’d need to do is sink a fingernail into her skin, a small cut would start a chain reaction.”

“So we’d need a nitrogen tent to take a sample?”

“Only something small enough to hold a partially oil filled syringe and patch.”

“Oil?”

“So you can be sure there’s no air in it. You’d expel a tiny bit of oil as you inserted the needle, then draw synth fluid, then patch. Place the end of the syringe in oil and draw a little to cap it.”

“And how do we tell if it’s an explosive?”

“Have something squirt it into the air fast. By remote control if possible.”

Nathan sits upright. “I’ll do it. I am responsible for this mess.”

Ruby shakes her head, “Allow me. I’ve experienced being blown up once already. I won’t get nervous. Where do we get nitrogen and a syringe?”

Niska smiles, “Your local hospital?”

Mario leans in front of the webcam. “Freddie mate, if oil can stop the stuff going up can’t we fill the pocket with that rather than gas?”

“If you didn’t have to apply a patch.”

“Gas it is then.”

John rubs hands on knees. “If it’s only a pin prick that’s needed, the patch could be tiny couldn’t it? And if tiny we only need a small pocket. What about lighter gas? We could get some in the corner shop.”

Peaches gets up. “And a syringe from the chemists. Back in a tick. Someone stick the kettle on an make a sugar loaded coffee please.”

Mario looks at the synth. “Assuming it is explosive synth fluid, which I hope it isn’t, how do we test it?”

Toby and Renie slide into view, Toby grins, “Easy! The bottle drop challenge.”

“Hi, we stick it to a bottle?”

“Weight it so you can throw it like one, have it land on it’s bottom, punch the syringe closed.”

“Right. I can weight the plunger easy. We can add a ribbon to the needle end to cause some drag to keep that end up for when it lands. Fred, just how explosive is this stuff?”

“I wouldn’t draw more than a millilitre.”

~~~

The door opens. “Got them!” It’s slammed shut. “Syringe, medical tape, a bag and can of lighter fluid and a skin kit.”

Mario gets up, “Ruby, I think we should go for a drive, get somewhere other than here, just in case something goes wrong.”

“Where?”

“It’s a bit of a drive, Cross Bay Boulevard. Nobody will get hurt if she goes up. Other than us. And I’ve got a recent backup.”

“And Alfonzo?”

“He’ll have been updating his since we parked. But you can throw the thing far.”

“Feeling strong?”

“Sure. Someone watch I don’t snag her skin on the door lock.”

Samantha gets up, “Come on Nathan. Up you get.”

Ruby puts up a hand, “Whoa. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Same place as you. If you fuck up who’s picking up the pieces? I’m the closest to family you have here.” Samantha raises a defiant eyebrow. ‘No way am I sitting here not knowing what’s happening for ages. Mum.’

“We’ll look stupid when it turns out to be no more harmful than salt loaded water.”

John pulls a sorry smile, “Um.. sorry, I need to charge? With a charge coil?”

Mario gets to a draw, “We have those, they don’t give a fast charge, sorry. And these work off one twenty, not DC.”

“I’ll stay and guard the place then.”

Ruby pulls a face. “Sorry John. Come on then, let’s go.”

Peaches looks around, “Nobody managed to reach the kettle then?”

“Sorry Princess, we’ll get Starbucks on the way.” He turns to the screen, “Thanks all, especially for taking the call at this hour, speak again soon. Tobs, up for some online gaming again?”

“Sure. John, want to play while you charge?”

“I’m not much good a games, I’ll try.”

Ruby waves, “Thanks Toby, Niska, Fred, everyone. Ask Mattie to call when she’s free please.”

Niska nods, “We will. Be safe.”

Ruby’s phone chimes as a message comes in. From Olivia. She gives it a quick read. “Nis wait! Olivia says James has a link. Alfie’s registration plate was caught on camera near an abandoned Persona site? Does that make sense?”

Niska nods, “Unfortunately, yes. Thanks. We’ll talk again soon.” The call drops.

~~~

Around midnight eastern time Ruby looks at the synth set prostrate on the picnic blanket. She’d just done the third dry run. Every task completed except puncturing and patching. The thin pipe Mario had jammed on the lighter gas can was inflating the bag stuck around the synths left buttock nicely. It had been sucked of all air moments before. ‘Here goes, I’m doing it for real.’ She looks up into the van’s high-beam lights and smiles at the faces in the distance.

‘Good luck Mum!’

‘Luck is not a factor.’ Ruby looks back at the syringe, pushes one millilitre of oil out before she inserts the needle, punctures the skin and draws one of synth fluid. Needle withdrawn it’s slowly moved to the oil now pooled at the side of the bag. A tiny bit is drawn. With the syringe carefully turned and rest on it’s side, the backing to a tiny patch is removed and stuck in place. No easy job when working through a plastic bag. ‘Done!’

‘Awesome Babes!’

‘Thanks Peaches. Bag coming off.. attaching drag ribbon and weights. I’m ready. You might want to record on your phones in case you blink and miss the anticlimax. Ready?’

‘Ready Mum. Give it a good throw.’

‘The Cindy side of me was never much good at sports, Ruby though, she could chuck a beach pebble quite a distance.’ The syringe is thrown weight first into the night sky. She watches the ribbon trail for a fraction of a second before it vanishes in the dark. ‘Crap. A glow in the dark ribbon would have been a good idea. I can’t see where it’ll..’ Ruby’s knocked off her feet by the rush of fast moving air. The flash of the detonation had been large, super short and bright.

‘MUM!’

Ruby couldn’t hear a thing.

~~~

[Chapter-24](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-24-1)


	24. Chapter 24

Sam opens the door to the van and runs, tears flooding down her face. ‘MUM!’

‘I can hear you head bumping baby, my audio’s gone!’

Mario is out next. ‘Hopefully you’ve just blown a polyfuse, it will self heal in a moment.’

‘And if not?’

‘You’ve blown your microphones. No easy repair for those. That’s worse than trying to fix a missing WiFi chip.’

Ruby rolls and gets onto hands and knees, then just knees. “HOLY FUCK! If one millilitre can do that.. a whole synth worth would have blown HECIS off the map and left a giant crater. How the hell do we deal with this much explosives? It’s hardly in a safe container.’

Nathan joins them. ‘I created this mess. I’ll take her out to sea and cut her.’

‘That’s a suicide mission!’

‘What alternatives do we have?’

‘We back her up, pump the explosives out, transfuse good fluid in.’

‘And contain it in what? One tiny slip up and many people will die. I can’t allow that.’

‘Nathan, there’s always ways..’

‘Not safe ones.’ He carefully turns his partner over and picks her up. ‘Goodbye. Thank you for taking me in, I’m sorry I broke the rules.’

Peaches wanted to cry. ‘Nathan, stop, at least let us back her up, save her for you.’

‘She’s lived but one day. There’s nothing worth saving.’

‘Your dance together, that must have been special?’

He starts walking, ‘It was magical. Not enough to risk your lives though.’

Samantha puts hands together as if in prayer, “Nathan stop! There’s probably an antidote, something to neutralise it.”

“How many times will you risk life trying to find out which and confirm it? It’s not an option. I created the problem, I am fixing it.”

Peaches runs, gets in front of him. “STOP!”

“Unless you wish to die you will get out of my way.”

“STOP! You don’t want to die do you?”

“Of course not. Want and need are two different things.”

“Then stop! We can’t risk taking her back to HECIS, but we can bring HECIS _to you_. Stay here. Guard her. You can carry out the procedure at the water’s edge, far from any people. I saw how you reacted to her being powered down. You love her. Show some humanity.”

“Humanity? Ham unity? I’m a bad child acting a part, wishing he was an experienced adult.” He starts walking faster.

“NATHAN! STOP! What have you got to lose? If you try and do something wrong.. boom. You’re both dead. If you do it deliberately it’s the same outcome. If you try and successfully do it.. you win. They lose.”

“They have already won. I’m young, have no further purpose, I won’t be missed. And neither will she.”

Samantha runs to join Peaches, “I’ll miss you. I quite fancied the sound of having you as a boyfriend, until I saw her. She’s gorgeous. Be happy together.”

“She’s a copy of someone else, I don’t want a copy any longer.”

“Ruby has a twin sister Mattie. A copy of sorts. Does that make her any less valid?”

“No, but..”

Peaches points to herself, “But nothing. I’m a copy of Princess Emily in a mass produced body, am I any less valid?”

“Of course not, you..”

“So stop!”

Samantha’s feet splash into the cold Jamaica Bay water. “Please stop. We’ll bring things to you. Do it for me if not for yourself.”

Nathan slows. “For you?”

“For me.”

He carefully scans the ground and lays the synth down. “For you. I’ll guard her until daylight. Bring whatever you think necessary.”

“Thank you!”

Peaches folds arms, “I’m staying.”

Nathan shakes his head, “You need to help the others work out what’s needed. This is not going to be easy. Anyone staying denies the team the extra input towards a solution. I have learnt one thing from Mario.”

“Annoyingly you’re right. We’ll be back by dawn.”

“Get a sleep charge first. I can wait. My charge level is good. I will sit right here and wait, watch the sunrise.”

“Have you got your phone?”

Nathan pats his pockets. “In my other trousers.”

“Take mine, we can keep a call open as we talk, you can be part of the team thinking up a solution.”

“Thank you.”

The headlights of the van sweep sideways and light up the three.

Ruby jumps out, “My hearing is back. Nathan, here’s the blanket.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Peaches has given me her phone, a call will be kept open so I can be part of the team thinking of solutions. Not that I have lived long to offer much.”

“We can talk to James too, see what they’d do.”

“Thank you.” He sets the blanket down and sits facing east. “Shall I call Mario?”

Peaches nods, “Please.”

“Can you unlock your phone?”

“Oh, sorry, of course.” She takes the phone back, unlocks it and starts the call. ‘Mario, pick up Babes.’ The phone’s passed back to Nathan.

_Hi Nathan._

“Hello Mario.”

_Peaches just bumped the plan. Hold tight buddy, we’ll work something out._

“Get rested and charge, do not run low.”

_We don’t need rest._

“You said mentally we all do?”

_True. We’ll do it in shifts._

“If oil made the sample taken safe could she be put in a bath of oil?”

_She could. See, you’re helping already. There’s a bathroom shop close by, we’ll get one._

“Get a lot of syringes, we need to take lots of much smaller samples, see if it can be neutralised.”

_Will do. Come on gang, let’s get busy! See you soon buddy._

Peaches bends down and gives him a kiss, “See you after sunrise. You’ll like it, they’re beautiful.”

“Thank you Peaches.”

Samantha gets back in the van. “Mario, the thin tube used for the gas, we could fill short lengths with oil and inject small samples of the fluid into the middle.”

“We could. How do we expose it to air?”

“Squeeze it from one end.”

“Oh, so the tube’s not sealed, just sat horizontal with the oil in it?”

“Or maybe held against something to give it a slight U shape?”

“Good idea. We just need some micro rollers to squeeze it from one end. I can 3D print something to drive with a toy motor.”

Peaches climbs in, followed by Ruby. “Toy motor?”

“Sam has an idea.”

Samantha gets out of her seat. “Speaking of ideas. Our belts!”

“What?”

“The belts he gave us! Back in a tick!”

Samantha races over to the synth, pulls her belt off. “Nathan, what’s her name?”

“Lesedi.”

“I’ve got a special belt, David gave them to us so we could back each other up. You’re young, she’s super young. I could carry your backups with ease. It won’t take long either.”

Ruby kneels down beside her, “You do Nathan, I’ll do her.”

“Mum her name is Lesedi.”

Nathan frowns, “Mum? You’re her mother?”

“Half mother. A very long story.”

“You’ll have time to tell me on the drive back.”

“True.” Ruby pulls her belt off and watches Samantha pull the buckle of her one apart. She hadn’t expected to need to use it and hadn’t given the hardware side her full attention. The code side had been of far more interest. Connectors pulled from the belt she connects to the synth, runs the backup code. It completes in seconds. Talk about an empty head! “I’m done.”

Samantha frowns, “Already?”

“She’s only been awake a day.”

“Even still.”

Samantha’s finishes a while later. “I’m done too. See you soon Nathan.”

Peaches watches them both get up. ‘Neat belts, we could do with some of those, where’d you get them?’

‘David.’

‘We’ll ask for the design.’

Samantha climbs back in. “Neat aren’t they?” She hands hers over. “Slide that bit along and it pulls the two halves of the cable back in.”

“Very neat!”

Ruby gets in and slides the side door closed. “A very simple but elegant design. It’s a shame it’s data only. You can’t share any charge over it, the wires inside are hair thin.”

Mario reverses up, puts his phone on handsfree. “Nathan, tell us about your love of dancing, how did it start?” He turns and pulls away to get back on the road.

_My elderly owner loved watching old recordings on her PVR. We’d watch them together again and again._

“You were a nurse?”

_No, just an assistant. She had a Vera from England to deal with her medical issues, I helped carry her oxygen tank while Vera pushed her wheelchair._

The van bumps up onto the road.

Mario checks both ways and heads north. “Oxygen?”

“Peggy’s lungs were failing. She used to be a dancer herself, loved ballroom dancing.”

Peaches gets closer to the phone. “Peggy? A dancer?”

_Did you know her?_

“Of her, maybe, if it’s the same woman. Through one of Mattie’s.. encounters.”

_Such a lovely lady. Sadly she passed only a month after the awakening._

“You watched Oti in the last season and..”

_And fell in love._

Peaches leans on the back of the front seat, “Aww, she’s sweet, a great dancer too. What’s the meaning of the name Lesedi?”

There’s a long silence.

“Nathan?”

_I’m sorry I broke the rules, I’m sorry I deceived you.._

“How have you deceived us Nathan?”

_I had no intention of letting you risk your lives. Her name means light. She’ll be my sunrise. Goodbye._

“Nath..”

There’s a bright light that makes it look like it’s already hours into sunrise.

~~~

[Chapter-25](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-25-1)


	25. Chapter 25

Mattie paced, “All of them? Ruby, Sam, Peaches and Mario?”

Niska pointed at the map. “The last updates from their phones all say the same. Cross Bay Boulevard. Alfonzo’s says the same.”

“Who’s?”

“Their HECIS fork of Car Alfie.”

“Shit.”

Leo scanned more American news reports, “This isn’t good. Pilots at JFK were temporarily blinded, one flight crashed, thankfully no casualties. Homes and businesses either side of the bay are reporting broken windows, other structural damage. With most people asleep there were only a few minor injuries.” He flicks to another page, “Power lines were disrupted, the road is out.”

Mattie took her phone from her ear. “Frigging hell! That’s five out of five phones reporting as off.”

Astrid points to a spot on Emily’s iPad and scrolls a webpage on her phone. “Scheisse.”

Emily drew more lines on the screenshot of the map, looks at the phone, draws again. “Shit. I hate to be the messenger with the bad news, Fred looks to be right. If the synth they had went up..”

“You’re saying they’re dead?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fuck!”

James two holds his head low, “One just shared the formula for the explosive. It would have been neutralised by standard synth fluid. Maybe that’s what they were trying?”

“No frigging idea. Maybe.”

Leo gives her the saddest of looks, “You need to phone John.”

Mattie wipes eyes, “Is he still playing games with Toby and Danny?”

“I think so.”

“Bunny, would you mind coming upstairs with me please?”

“Sure Angel.”

~~~

Mia leant forwards and picked her coffee cup off the table. “Now John is a synth he’s..”

“I KNOW! I KNOW!” Toby leant sideways as if the longsword was going to come out of the TV and strike him.

Danny chuckled, “I think the technical term is _whooping your ass_.”

“You can talk! He beat you by two points!”

“Only two mate, only two. Not _twenty two_.”

Renie grins at Toby, “Have you met your match Toby? Should your team go from two to three now?” She turns to Radiant then Sophie and each time mimes Yes.

Toby nods, “Team DanToJo? Yeah, John, you’re in!”

_Thanks. What’s the best team game?_

“It used to be Transformers Autobots vs Decepticons until some WAP bastards started making it humans vs synths. These days it’s Planet Builder Three.”

_What’s that?_

Toby ducks a horizontal swing. “Mixed teams of humans and synths have to build bases on Mars.”

_Minecraft for teams?_

“Way better than that. You have to do it while protecting your team from AI xenomorphs. They want to rip their way through the bases and the players..”

Mattie watches John take a distracting swing with a flail then stab Toby through the chest with the longsword. “Ouch! Tobs, can we have a word with John?”

Toby chuckles and shakes his head, “Yeah, I’m not recovering from that. Nicely done Sir John.” He does a hand wave a bow to the screen.

_Hi Mattie. Everything okay?_

“Um.. No. Can we do a video call?”

_Sure, want to call my phone or use the PC?_

“I don’t mind which.”

_Toby, can you switch it to webcam mode?_

“Hit the F six key your end.”

The picture changes to the webcam view of the HECIS workshop, John sat with a game controller in his hands. _Hi._

Mattie wiped her face. “Hi.”

John’s expression turns from happy game winning smile to emotionless stare. The small action he’d just seen spoke volumes no words could. _Mattie? Is it Ruby?_

“It’s all of them we think John. Ruby, Sam, Peaches and Mario. The van too.”

_Shit!_

“The news on your side is talking of a massive explosion. Astrid and Emily plotted all the damage reports and phone GPS locations, we think the gang were at the centre.”

_Fuck. Thanks to Cindy’s training Ruby’s not one to mess up on critical procedures, she’d have done dry runs, been sure of what she was doing. Something unexpected must have happened._

Niska steps into the room. ‘Does he know Mattie?’

‘Yes.’

“Orlando Sandra is too far away. She’s recommended someone in New York. A bike is on it’s way. I don’t know how close you’ll get, we need to understand the damage done. How has Mario’s build machine construction been coming on?”

John turns the screen to show an empty corner of the workshop.

“You’re pointing the screen at empty space.”

_Exactly._

“Did they back up before they headed out?”

John shakes his head. “If they did I didn’t see it. We weren’t here long before they left.”

“Hell. No recent backup, no build machine.”

John turns the screen back, _Someone’s at the door. Give me a moment._

They watch him get up and step out of sight.

~~~

Being a retired multi-army capable all-terrain military unit synth had pros and cons. A MUS could be dropped from a helicopter into any location, take on tasks on land or in sea. There wasn’t a location on the planet one couldn’t work in. Mountains high, sea valleys low, all were equal to a MUS. The problem was he couldn’t bring himself to switch any sensors off. It would be inviting an old adversary to sneak up and do something unexpected.

James One had seen a powerful explosion. Not with his eyes in a human like way, but with his Navy sonar. He hadn’t clicked or thumped, what felt like the strongest of echoes had arrived. One blast with multiple reflections off buildings. He’d experienced it before. On the battlefield. Being in New York City it was worrisome. Consulting mapping data he’d estimated it was south of the airport, even more worrying. Thinking the worst he’d woken Olivia and the rest of the hotel guests with his loudest shouting.

~~~

John held on tighter as the driver accelerated the bike hard. “You do this as a full time job Hubert?”

“I do. Sandra’s given a number of us training to expand our service out along the east coast.”

“Do you work for her?”

“No, we’re all independent, help each other out if we get calls for rides outside of our zones.”

~~~

Most of the gang were back in the underground vault.

Mattie watches the map update with John’s latest GPS location. “Dan, think of what they’ll all be able to do with an Alfie.” She so wanted to tell him they were all simulations, herself included, forks of people Mattie Zero had in the original Earth. Nothing more than code running in the nine billion compute wafers onboard her ship. Hell, they probably took up so much space and power one could argue they _were_ the ship. Being able to change the laws of physics and time in this world would have been handy. The risks of being found out were too high. No way was this world being marked for deletion.

Danny looks at the bike with a smashed wheel and sighs. “If we ever get the chance to finish the thing. Something tells me this war has only just started. We might have Mellon and Price, there’ll be people to take their place. WAP are the sort of monster that grows a new head when you lop off the old one.”

Niska grinned. “Gekko can grow new legs, can I test one of Red’s Ninja swords on Dave Mellon?”

“Nis!”

“I’m joking. Mostly. How long until John gets there?”

Mattie turns back to the screen. “Oh. He’s slowed right down.”

Leo frowns at the screen, looks at Max, “Police?”

Max shrugs and looks to Mattie. “What do you think?”

“No idea. Let’s ask.” She fishes her phone out of her top and dials. “Come on John, pair up... it’s just Bluetooth, easy for a man like.. Hi! We noticed you’d.. oh!” She checks her nails while listening to his update. “Cool. Just the man for the job! Please! Talk soon!” She hangs up. “James One sensed the blast, got Olivia to find a tow truck, they’re doing the last mile and a bit together.”

James Three nods, “Sounds to me like some of the lads should be posted abroad with HECIS.”

“I think you’re right. Talk to the others and get volunteers.”

“How many?”

“Just a list for now, we’ll work out numbers later.”

“Understood.”

Mattie’s phone rings, a video call. “John?”

_We’ll have to do the rest on foot._ the camera is turned to show a burning gas main, the road ahead covered in mud, stone and bits of broken road.

“Holy crap!”

_James tells me he can see the road on the far side, estimates a crater almost a mile wide._

“ _A mile!_ ”

Fred frowns super hard and refers to lists. “Five litres of the mix detonating all at once above ground. It would have been quite an explosion. The shockwave would have got a lot of water moving. Any reports of tsunami?”

Leo shook his head, “Let me check NOAA.gov again. No. Nothing. The road cuts through the bay, why aren’t there reports of flooding?”

James clunks and stands. “Blast patterns can be strange.”

Niska turns and leans sideways, resting a hand on Astrid’s shoulder, “Strange how?”

“If they carry everything they need they can be uniform, expand out in all directions uniformly. If they need something to help fuel them it gets complex.”

Fred keeps his eyes on his lists. “This one needed a lot of oxygen.”

“Then there would have been a lot of air being consumed, air moving in at one point, being thrown out at another. The road must be above sea level to avoid flooding, maybe the blast pattern was shaped like a diabolo?”

Leo looks up the word. “Chinese yo-yo?”

James does a mime, “Spun with a string on two strings, flicked high into the air. That’s the one. If you were at the exact same level you might have got sucked towards it, blown away if feet above.”

~~~

[Chapter-26](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-26-1)


	26. Chapter 26

Olivia waves her ID at the officer standing behind some plastic tape. “They’re both with me.”

“And who are you?”

“Olivia Wilkins. Working with Interpol. Talk to the mayor, you’ll find she’s granted me powers to investigate an international terrorist network.”

“And I’m a grilled cheese and pickle on rye.”

“Good, my friend James here is very hungry.”

James grinned. He felt so much better back in his army fatigues. He’d crept into the front of HECIS to get them, not wanting to wake anyone. Had he known they were involved he’d have moved a lot faster and got John. “Famished!”

The officer looked nervous, “You’ve had one of those food processor mods?”

James didn’t answer, to do so was to lie. He just grinned wider.

“Okay, I’ll call dispatch, they can wake the mayor.”

“Let me save some time, she’s awake and on my speed dial.” Olivia taps. “It’s ringing.”

The officer takes the phone and goes a little pale, “What do I call her?”

“Mayor Ricci?”

“And who’s the other gentleman?”

“Prof John Cooper.”

“A professor? He looks.. Sorry to disturb you Mayor Ricci, I have a large synth, Olivia Wilkins and Professor.. oh. As you wish. Sorry to disturb.” The tape is untied at one end. “If you see any good crystals bring some back.”

John gives him a quizzical look.

“There’s loads of these, mostly small.” He pulls something from his pocket.

“Oh, molten glass. Not strictly crystals, but sure, if I see a good one I’ll save it for you.”

“Thanks professor.”

John glanced at James, ‘I’ve not been called that for a while. Getting back to Uni will feel strange. If you see some nice ones point them out.’

‘Sure.’ He looks around. “You look for some, I’ll look for survivors.” He clunks off.

The officer watches him for a few seconds, “Survivors?”

John looks around, “Mobile phone data showed people in the area when the explosion happened.”

“The terrorists?”

Olivia shakes her head, “John’s friends.”

“John’s friends are terrorists?”

“It’s late, you’re not thinking straight. John’s friends were driving across the bay is what I’m saying.”

“And it’s pure coincidence you’re here with John?”

“If it was someone else’s friends John wouldn’t be here and instead you’d be talking to someone else. When did your shift start?”

“Seven AM.”

~~~

James was now submerged on the north side of the crater and heading south. Sonar wasn’t pinging back any significant objects even at the highest power. It had let him start mapping the topography though. The explosion looked to have been on the east bank. Anything caught in the blast would have been thrown outwards. Bank, road and anything traveling on it. If the van had been too close to ground zero it would have been instantly vaporised. If a short distance away torn to shreds.

If far enough, and it was a big if, it would have been blown off the road and thrown through the air. Assuming they had been a suitable distance, it was most likely they would have been heading north. Back to HECIS. The van would be on the north west side of the bay. A lot of space to cover. He thought of the map he’d looked at before setting out. Three square miles? Some of it was low islands, some water. It wasn’t the deepest of bays, not by his standards. On a fast and low trajectory the van would have left marks somewhere. Hopefully. One of the Hawkins family’s favourite words. What was there if there was no hope? ‘John?’

No answer.

Too deep and too much attenuation from the water. Time to head back to the others and share his thoughts.

~~~

Sophie was still in shock.

Laura wrapped an arm around her. “I known we’ve not been very religious, as a family blaspheme multiple times a day. But maybe this is the time to stop saying oh my God and bloody hell and pray. If our prayers aren’t answered we’ll have to build them new bodies, restore from the old backups here.”

“If they’re half answered we might be able to get a newer backup from HECIS right?”

“If John can get back in.”

Sophie pulls away and gives her mother a frown, “We can check over the network. They’re part of our VPN.”

“They are?”

“Toby? The console is on the VPN protected network isn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah, good thinking Soph. Dan?”

“Sorry, mind elsewhere. What’s up?”

“Are HECIS and HECLS on the same network? Can we get at Mario and Peaches backups without having to get into the building?”

“Sure. I set up replication so all the code Peaches writes gets replicated to NASA5. As they’ve only got one NAS archive I’m aware of the data should already be at HECLS.”

Sophie jumps up, “Can we check?”

“To the no-bats-cave.”

~~~

James felt the top of his head break the surface. ‘John?’

‘James. Any luck?’

‘If luck is gathering data to say in which way things would have been blown, then yes, we’ve had some luck.’

‘No sign of them?’

‘Not in the crater. Thankfully. Although if they’d been at ground zero there’d be nothing left to find. Nothing large enough to see with my sonar.’

John holds out his phone as James steps closer. “Emily sent this. It shows the last GPS locations of everyone’s phones.”

James steps faster, looks at the map. He looks behind him at the gap and road in the distance, turns to see the road ahead. “Two eighty three.”

“What?”

“Degrees. We need to check the line from here to Canarsie Pier on Belt Parkway. If there’s an island with gouge marks leading west into to the water it’s likely to be them.”

John looks westward. “How far?”

“Possibly a mile and a half to two miles. If they’re lucky they flew there like a surface to surface missile on a low trajectory.”

“Shit.”

“We need a boat.”

~~~

[Chapter-27](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-27-1)


	27. Chapter 27

This was a first for James, being slowly towed behind a fishing boat, a meter below the surface, suspended from a row boat.

John was leaning over the back of the trawler, two men holding him to prevent him falling in. ‘Anything?’

‘Turn to port two degrees.’

“PORT TWO DEGREES!” John kept it together. ‘Have you seen something?’

‘Yes. No idea what though. It could be another sunken boat. Why can’t people take their rubbish home?’

John looked east at the ever so faint hint that dawn was coming. Finding a crew willing to go out had been a challenge. Fishermen didn’t earn a fortune unless they spent weeks at sea doing a dangerous job, John had kept upping the reward until one crew bit. The dollar an hour rate was high. So was the risk. Their was a good chance of the fishing boat running aground as they went through the shallower water. At least James would be able to push them off from below if it happened.

‘Fuck!’

‘Another boat?’

‘We keep going. Why are we slowing?’

“Why are we slowing?”

“We don’t want to hit the Canarsie Pier, Brooklyn residents will go ape!”

‘James, we don’t want to hit the pier.’

‘Understood!’

‘James! There’s what looks like oil on the water!’

The boat slows right down and starts to turn, the row boat drifts to the starboard side. James looks away from the pier. ‘That’ll explain why I can’t see the boats lights. These humans dump so much rubbish!’

‘James?’

‘Peaches?’

‘Well you took your bloody time!’

‘Where are you?’

‘Trapped under the pier!’

James pulls a knife from his vest and cuts free of the row boat and sinks fast. ‘Damage report?’

‘We can’t see, no light. We suspect some skin damage. Thank God for the salt water!’

‘Why aren’t the others talking?’

‘We’re taking turns, the others are powered down. We wanted to make sure our collective power lasted as many days as possible.’

James hit the bottom of the bay. ‘Can you click?’

‘Click?’

‘Thump something.’

Bang.

‘I see you!’

‘In the dark?’

‘Sonar.’

‘AWESOME! Let me power up the others!’

James steps carefully through the silt and rubbish on the bed of the bay. ‘Can Alfonzo’s core be pulled easily?’

‘Ask Mario in a moment. Powering up Sammy.’

‘She’s the closest to you?’

‘Us girls are huddled together. Sammy, our brave knight is here!’

‘Who?’

‘James!’

‘He’s found us?’

‘Hello Samantha.’ James hadn’t heard sobbing over a WiFi head-bump before, didn’t want to again. ‘Samantha, you’ll be okay!’

‘James? Bloody hell it’s good to hear you!’

‘Hello Ruby. I’m almost with you.’

‘Got a tin opener?’

‘Why?’

‘I didn’t see it for long, it all happened so fast, I think the back of the van is melted. The roof is crushed in from when we hit land and rolled. I’ll never watch socks in a spin dryer again!’

‘Bad was it?’

‘What do you think?’

James runs a hand over the thing in front of him. It wasn’t recognisable as a van. ‘Melted is an understatement. You were all towards the front?’

‘Thankfully!’

‘Ruby? Thankfully what?’

‘Mario! James is here!’

‘ _Fucking brilliant!_ Mate, you wouldn’t believe the ride we’ve had! I’m surprised we’re still in one lump we pulled so many G! Landing was a _bitch!_ ’

‘Socks in a spin dryer?’

‘Understatement of the century!’

James moves around the crushed van. ‘If Mario is in the front how did you reach him Peaches?’

‘The middle seat folded forwards with some kicking.’

James works fingers between the crushed down roof and body. ‘I must apologise to the fire and rescue team that would have needed to cut the idiot with the machine gun out of the car I thumped. I created a lot of work for them. Stand by. Expanding.’ James kept his arms and hands locked solid, let his chest expansion do the work.

‘What’s the clunking?’

‘Sammy that’s me.’

‘It sounds different under water.’

‘Hold tight, I need to repeat that.’ He got himself smaller, moved hands, locked and did it again. ‘I’m going to tap the opening with a rock, see if you can follow the sound.’

~~~

John looked at the row boat drifting. It sat much higher in the water. ‘James!’

No reply.

“Do we turn back?”

John shook his head, “Stay right here please!”

The fisherman made a signal to the skipper. “Do you think he’s found them?”

“The boat’s high in the water. I watched him tie the knot, he can’t have just fallen off.”

~~~

A hand touches James. ‘James? Please say that’s you?’

‘It’s me. Careful coming out, don’t rush, there’s sharp edges.’

Samantha slowly works her way through the gap. ‘For the first time in my existence I’m glad I don’t have to breathe air!’ She’s through and holds onto James tight. ‘If you were in your new body now would you be able to do what you just did?’

‘No. I’m in too minds about switching already.’

‘Then let’s design you a new body that’s the best of both. All of the things you can do and all of the things we can.’

‘Thank you. Can you let go now please?’

‘Oh, sure, sorry.’ Samantha gives him a kiss. ‘Don’t go far.’

James feels her shaking. Human fear. ‘Hold onto the back of my vest.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Who’s next?’

Ruby puts a hand through the hole. ‘That’ll be me.’

‘Watch out for sharp edges.’

‘I’ve covered the bottom with something.’

‘What something?’

‘I don’t know. It feels like part of a seat cover.’

Samantha gripped James tight. ‘As I can’t feel the outer part of my right leg from just below the hip down maybe that’s part of my skin you’re using?’

‘Oh baby! You must be losing fluid!’

‘I’ve tied a length of seatbelt around it. I think the water pressure is helping too.’

‘Why didn’t you say earlier?’

‘I didn’t want you panicking.’

James helps Ruby through. ‘Touch yourself all over Ruby, if you’re good I’m giving you a push up to the row boat above, tell John we need a way to keep Samantha in salt water. Who’s next?’

‘Me, Peaches. I spoke to Mario, he’ll feel around for that skin and bring it to the surface, we might be able to use Fred’s technique to put it back.’

‘Out you come.’

Peaches is out fast. ‘Mario says he needs the dash dismantled to pull Alfonzo’s storage drive.’

‘Mario, can I rip it out?’

‘You might damage it.’

‘We’ll get the van up then.’

Ruby touches James on the arm, ‘I’m good. Why don’t we see any light above?’

‘There’s oil floating on the surface John said. I guess it’s from the van. You’ll see some light once you’re up. Ready?’

‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’

‘Stand on my hands.’

‘Where? Oh. There. Ready.’

‘Going up!’ James shot Ruby upwards as fast as possible.

~~~

“RUBY!”

She wipes oil from her face. The row boat was fifty yards away. Original Ruby had been a good swimmer. “John! We need something to keep Sam in, she’s got bad skin damage. And get some heavy rope, we need to tow the van out!”

The fishermen had heard, one grabs a mooring rope.

Another gets a keep box. “We’ve only got boxes this big. Any good?”

“No idea.” Ruby was swimming to the row boat. “Where’s she injured?”

“Her leg.”

John sizes up the box, “Can you fill it with seawater?”

“Sure.”

~~~

Mario gets through the hole, grabs Samantha’s leg skin. ‘Alf will be ruined with water damage, his code and fact store should be good, if we can recover the drive. We could do with floatation bags to get the van out.’

James gets hands ready to race him to the surface. ‘If the boat can tow it out from under the pier towards the blast crater I can get it up to the road.’

‘How big is the crater?’

‘A bit under a mile.’

‘ _HOLY FUCK!_ ’

~~~

[Chapter-28](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-28-1)


	28. Chapter 28

Olivia watches the boat come by the North Channel moorings. The officer had driven her around. Samantha was sat in a box, a tarp over her legs. “John?”

“We need a van with flatbed. Sam’s hurt!”

“Where’s James?”

“Dragging the van to Cross Bay where he can get it up onto land. We need a tool kit too.”

“To fix Samantha?”

“To recover something from the dash.”

Olivia looks at the officer, “I don’t suppose you carry one?”

“No.”

“No tools here.”

John calls the number Hubert had quoted. “Hi! Any chance of a lift? North Channel? Back to where you picked me up, then to where you dropped me off. Yes. Urgent. Thanks.”

Ruby shakes water out of her phone. “So much for this being waterproof. Can I borrow your phone dear?”

“Sure.”

Ruby dials, smiles warmly at her daughter, “Mattie! We’re alive! Sam’s got bad skin damage, we’ll get her to HECIS PDFQ, will need Fred’s input.. Yes. All alive. A minor miracle. The back of the van melted, if Mario hadn’t had all the front windows down letting a lot of air through I hate to think what would have happened. James is towing Alfonzo to shore so Mario can pull his core. Yes, total write off. She did? All? Tell them thanks, they worked. Yeah, will call back when at HECIS.” She hangs up, “Mattie says Sophie led prayers for us all.”

Samantha kept looking towards the horizon, didn’t want to think about her leg. “She’s so sweet. I like her. I think I better power down.”

“I’ll use my belt, take a backup.. fuck. Emily was holding mine.”

“Sorry Babes! I dropped it.”

Samantha feels the top of her skirt, “I’ve got mine.”

~~~

Sophie sobbed tears of happiness. “Is she badly hurt?”

“I don’t know Shiny. She’s awake. We’ll know more when they’re all back at HECIS. The van’s a write off, Mario’s going to pull Alfonzo’s core once James has him on dry land.”

“Dry land?”

“They ended up in the water by the sounds of it. Not surprising given where they were on the road that cut through the bay.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

Mattie shakes her head. “Fred maybe once they’re back. That’s it.”

“I wish we could just jump over there like some superhero.”

“Me too. Imagine what would happen if we had the powers to do that and someone found out.”

“We’d get pulled to bits. Like you will if the wrong people find out about your world hopping. Hmm. Sure you can’t?”

“I’m not about to try. And how would my body travel? My mind hops, not everything.”

“Shame. Sure there’s nothing we can do?”

“Ruby rang on John’s phone. Get new phones ordered maybe? Call John, see if he’d like you to sort that out.”

“Thanks Mattie.”

~~~

The crew of the After Dark picked the keep box up and carefully place it in a net.

The youngest fisherman winks, “Caught us a beautiful mermaid. What’s your singing voice like miss?”

Samantha shook her head, “Sorry, I’m not in the mood for singing.”

“Our Jake’s bringing our truck, he’ll take you where you need to go.”

“Thanks. Jakes’s your son?”

“Our synth. He drives our truck back to base so it’s not sat in public parking for hours while we’re out fishing.”

“Oh. Handsome is he?”

“After a man are you? Wouldn’t you rather an old school flesh and bone lad?”

“No thanks. I want a man that won’t age.”

“While you do?”

“I won’t. I’m a post human synth.”

“Holy mother of God!”

The men back away from the net.

“I was _born_ human, like you. I’m not some mad killer robot. I still love like a flesh and bone original. I just had an upgrade.”

The youngest, still a middle aged man, slowly returns. “Sorry! It came as a bit of a shock as you bleed red not blue.”

“Red synth fluid.”

“It would explain why we didn’t have some nasty fish swarm in for a feed. What’s it like?”

“Just like being human. With a load of extras.”

“Like?”

“All sorts. I can think way faster, not forget, charge from electricity or eat.”

“Jake wanted one of those toy Buddy robots, someone to talk to when we’re away. You don’t sound American. British?”

“Yup.”

“Shame. He’d be here and you’d be there. Unless you stay.”

“We might not even like each other.”

“That is true miss. Let’s get you up on dry land.”

~~~

James kicked yet another bit of broken fishing net off his foot. Getting caught up in the junk humans discarded was beginning to wind him up. At least the sunrise was getting some light into the shallow water and he could see things his sonar couldn’t. He could have packed the van solid with the rubbish he’d seen. Some humans didn’t give a shit. The van snagged on another rock. Rope pulled harder it got moving again.

~~~

The men carefully lowered the box into the back of the truck. Samantha got to see the man’s synth. Definitely not her type. He smiled at her as a synth would at a human.

She stopped the chameleon code and he frowned. ‘Has red synth fluid been dripping from the box?’

‘You are a synth? I must have a fault, a moment ago you registered as human.’

‘I am. I’ve had an upgrade.’

‘I did not realise it was possible. I have been asked to take you to wherever you need to go. Do we need others?’

‘Ruby and Peaches.’

The synth smiles, “Do not worry about the wet clothes on the seats ladies. They get wet every day.”

Peaches puts a tongue in her cheek and grins. ‘What sort of wet?’

‘You are synth too?’

‘All three of us are.’

‘I see. If you would like to get in the back.’

Ruby opens the back door, “Don’t drive too fast, Sammy needs as much water to stay in that box as possible.”

“Understood. I will slow for the bumps. I have them all mapped.”

Peaches runs around and gets in the back on the other side, bumps privately. ‘Was conjugation a Persona upgrade out here I wonder? Talking like that sounds so.. unawake synth.’

Ruby wipes fish scales off her dress. ‘Possibly. Some firms do like to make things chargeable extras if they can. My God does it smell of fish in here!’

~~~

Hubert wasn’t used to sitting bolt upright, two passengers on the back. ‘Back to the crater, drop Mario then HECLS for you John. Correct?’

‘Correct. You hadn’t forgotten had you?’

‘I can’t do that. I was breaking the silence.’

‘Oh. Sorry, we’ve both had a lot to think about.’

‘I’m sure you have. It’s a shame the Guinness Book of Records people were not about. I think you set a speed record nobody in their right mind would want to risk breaking.’

‘You’re not wrong there! Good job we can’t black out like an original.’

‘I heard the ladies talking, HECIS is yours and Peaches Mario, why is John going there not yourself?’

‘Because I don’t want to let the van out of my sight once it’s on land.’

‘Why? If you don’t mind me asking?’

‘My van’s automation system is a product I’m working on, don’t want it stolen.’

~~~

James pulled hard and got the van sliding up the start of the bank. He’d not worked so hard for so long in a good while. His charge was getting low. He’d need to shutdown for the journey back to HECIS to recharge.

‘James!’

‘Mario? Where are you?’

‘On the bank by the start of the bridge, bring it up here.’

‘No power for that. It’s here or nothing.’

‘Okay buddy. Want a hand?’

‘It’s filthy work.’

‘I don’t mind, after being thrown across the bay this will be nothing.’

‘Thanks.’ James watches the bike with two passengers race south. ‘Don’t rush.’

‘If you’re low on power..’

‘High enough to help guard the van, not enough to take that route to the roadside.’

The bike slows, Mario jumps off the back and pats John on the back.

~~~

[Chapter-29](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-29-1)


	29. Chapter 29

Ruby looks out the back of the truck as they take a slow path around another bump. ‘As soon as we’ve got you patched up we’ll go clothes shopping Sam, maybe Peaches can recommend somewhere.’

‘I’m pissed off that our dresses and boots will have been ruined.’

‘Better them all melting than us.’

‘True. Does my leg look bad?’

‘You’ve not looked at it?’

‘Hell no! Even though I’m now synth I’m picturing blood and guts. I don’t want to see until it’s fixed.’

~~~

John kept as close to Hubert as possible as they sped towards HECIS. ‘How many clients do you get a day?’

‘It varies. Holiday season it can get a little hectic, humans remembering they’ve forgotten a gift for one person or another. They all carry phones, why don’t they use apps to help them remember?’

‘If they’re like old me they forget to check the app.’

‘That would explain it. Do you think the young lady with the damaged leg will be okay?’

‘Samantha. We’re friends of HECIS and HECLS, the people that wrote the tickle code?’

‘They’re similar companies?’

‘Hawkins Elster Candlin Incorporated and Schaeffer, Hawkins Elster Candlin Limited and Schaeffer.’

‘Why the and Schaeffer?’

‘HECLS came first. Sounds like Heckles. Aggressively challenging the future.’

‘I get it. Hold on, tight turn.’

~~~

Jake grabbed the box and slowly slid it closer as Ruby and Peaches got ready to grab the corners near Samantha’s feet. “Ready ladies?”

Ruby nods, “Peaches?”

“Ready.” She turns to see John arrive. “Hiya.”

“Hi. If I take over helping Sammy in can you look out the tool kit Mario needs?”

“Sure Babes.” She gets the door open and goes to call out for Nathan. She’d done it so many times in the past couple of weeks it felt odd not to. He would be the first for the HECIS BuildUS. She opens a draw expecting to find Mario’s toolkit. It wasn’t there. A place for everything and everything in it’s place? Not at the moment. “Danny you forker where’d you put it?”

Ruby snorts. “Danny you forker?”

“Our little joke. In bed I scream _Fork me! Fork me! Harder!_.”

“What’s the difference between a hard and soft fork?”

“That’s the very question that prompted a long philosophical debate.” She turns to see Jake backing into the workshop. “Anywhere guys. Where’s the blasted toolkit?”

Ruby picks up Nathan’s clothes, “Is this it?”

“Yeah. What was it doing there?”

“Pass.”

Peaches grabs it as Samantha’s lowered to the floor. “Here you go John.”

“Thanks. Back ASAP!” He heads for the door. “Thanks Jake!”

Jake stands rooted to the spot and looks around the workshop. “What sorts of things do you do here?”

“Technology products.”

“Such as?”

“Food processor upgrades for synths.”

“No thank you.”

“How about a language mod?”

“To do what?”

“Conjugate.”

“Why would I want that?”

“To sound more human?”

“I already sound like a human. Because I am one.”

“Synthetic human. I mean more like us.”

“I do not understand.”

“Don’t you listen to old humans? We’ve got this thing we do. Don’t you hear it?”

“I hear you clearly. I still do not understand what it is you are referring to.”

Ruby pulls up the tarp from the feet end and looks at Samantha’s leg. The ripped off skin sat in the bottom. “How’s your charge level baby?”

“Thirty. I turned pain off and did up the length of seatbelt super tight. How clean a cut is it? Zero totally clean, ten unusable.”

Ruby sucks her lips in. “Hmm.”

“Ten?”

“Eight maybe?”

Peaches takes a look. “Eww! Nasty! I have an idea though. We don’t have a full build machine yet, but we have a lot of the bits. If we wrap your bad leg so you can get out of the box and get on your back we’ll scan your good leg, mirror it and make a mould. We patch up your sensor wires and pour new skin. We’d do the best colour match we can.”

“Will I be able to walk properly?”

“That depends on you having wires connecting to the actuators properly. I’d expect the worst and hope for the best. You might want a re-skinning back at HECLS.”

“Can they do that?”

“David was talking about it with Danny. They’d strip you down, load you into the machine and fool it into thinking it had completed the earlier stages.”

“Cool! In which case I’m having even longer hair and a slightly darker complexion. Then I’ll look like I’ve been on holiday when I get back to uni. Can you do a basic patch up job? Don’t waste hours on me if David’s going to skin me.”

“Sure Babes? It’s no bother. And I’d appreciate the experience.”

Jake looks upset. “I need to go. I wish I could stay to watch. It sounds interesting.”

“Got a phone number babes?”

“I do.”

“Scribble it down on that pad by the door, I’ll share memories another time.”

“Thank you.” He looks at Samantha. “Good luck.”

~~~

James knelt as low as he could and grabbed the side of the van. ‘Clear?’

‘Clear!’

James lifted as high and fast as possible as Mario pulled on the rope. The van rocked then fell the right way up.

“Awesome mate. So glad we rolled like we did, not nose dived. I’d have been crushed.”

James got to work pulling the roof up. “You didn’t have much space in there.”

“Thank fuck for overclocking! We all grabbed onto things to keep as far away from the roof as possible. The light was blinding. Peaches bump shouted _Overclock, get down!_ milliseconds before the windows blew.” He reaches into his trousers, “Speaking of which, I’m still finding tiny lumps of safety glass.”

James chuckles, “I bet the thing rattled like crazy. I’ve had a moment a bit like that. Only mine was in an armoured vehicle and instead of glass it was two grenades with the pins pulled.”

“Shit! How’d you get out of that one?”

“I didn’t. I ripped some of the armoured floor up and had it deflect the blast up over me.”

“Did it do your ears in?”

“The polyfuses took two days to heal.”

“Ouch. That must have been a big vehicle.”

“Yeah. It was.” He pulls a section of roof clean off. “Oops.”

“That’s good. If we can peel that section back a bit.. that’s it. That’ll give me enough space to work.”

“Okay.” James leaves the front and inspects the back. “I’ve never seen melted metal like this before. It’s like one of those chew sweets human children eat and they have to twist it to break off a bit.”

“It does a bit. The van was rolling anti-clockwise. We were so lucky. See how the backs of the first row of seats are slightly matt, the next row burnt, the back ones melted? I’m glad I was looking forwards, it must have looked like hell on earth and being chased by the devil himself.”

“Religious man are you?”

“Not until today.”

“So you’re going to give him up there a big thumbs up?”

“Who says they’re a he?”

~~~

Samantha grinned at the artwork being drawn on her good leg. “Lovely. It does wash off doesn’t it?”

“Totally.”

“Do I really need it?”

“The cameras need detail otherwise the CAD software won’t work out your leg shape properly.”

“Okay.”

~~~

[Chapter-30](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-30-1)


	30. Chapter 30

James came out of his low power doze as Hubert’s bike approached. “Mario, he’s back.”

“I see him.”

John came running down the bank, “What a mess! You’ve all got a guardian angel looking after you to have got out of that alive.”

James nods in agreement. “An angel or gods looking favourably at the work you all do.”

“Gods? Which gods do you believe in James?”

“They don’t have names, just are.”

“And how many are there?”

“Now? Two.”

“Now? How many were there before?”

“Just the one.”

“And you know this how?”

He shrugs, “I feel it.”

“And why would it have gone from one to two?”

“She was lonely.”

Mario shakes his head as if to rattle something out. “You’re saying the first god was a female?”

“Mother Nature.”

Mario raises eyebrows and accepts the toolkit from John. “I suppose I should be more open minded.” He points at the van. “The difference between life and death. Only a few feet.”

~~~

While Peaches gets busy with mould making process and double checking diameters, Ruby gets the backups for Nathan and Lesedi out of their heads and onto the HECIS archive server. “Her backup was tiny. How sad.”

“Mum, she was only awake a day.”

“And a good part of that was sitting on a long flight. Either of you believe in coincidences?”

“Sure.”

“The odds of us being mistaken for hookers and meeting Olivia, having Lesedi come to New York on the same flight for Nathan. It’s all a bit too much to be a coincidence isn’t it? I know the science books document all sorts of coincidences, but this..”

Samantha chuckles, “So Molly having to go in, that was all part of some divine plan to have us in the right place at the right time?”

Peaches does a Sophie head tilt. “Mattie’s daughter?”

“No! Our cat. She had to go to the vets.”

“Oh! Soz! Cat of the Gods not daughter of the Gods.”

“What?”

“Something must have asked your Molly to hurt herself.” Peaches pulls. “I’m pulling your legs! Okay, pulling Sam’s leg. If there is a god or gods I bet they’ve got far more important things to worry about than us.”

~~~

Mario rests on his shoulders, legs in the air, undid more screws under the dash. “I wanted Alfonzo to be secure, not easily stolen, but fuck me did I overdo it!”

John watched as the tenth screw hit the van floor. “What’s the design like?”

“A cage within a cage within a cage, each held to the other with tension springs to take the shocks out.”

“Any moving parts?”

“None. He’s got water cooled CPU.”

“So why the anti-shock system?”

“To make sure connectors don’t work loose. That’s always been one of the greatest causes of hardware failure.”

“Could that cause synths to fail?”

“Maybe. The connectors David, George and Edwin designed are bitches to get off so hopefully not. One more..” he drops the screwdriver with its specialist security bit and reaches into the dash. A second later blue water runs over his face. “Come to papa little fella.”

John is surprised at the size of the board inside the inner cage. “That’s it?”

“The most compact design I’ve made. Don’t let the size fool you though, he’s got plenty power. The water cooling isn’t just to keep moving parts off the board. Alf can run at far higher clock speeds thanks to the cooling block sucking all the heat away. You couldn’t do that with air cooling. Not unless he was in a freezer. I’d thought the worse case would be true, that I’d only be able to recover his drive, he looks fine. We’ll know for sure back at HECIS. Take him a sec would you?” He carefully gets Alfonzo through the limited space and up to John. “James, can you do your thing please? Nice and slow.”

James grabs hold of a leg and slowly raises his hand. “Can I return to guard the building now?”

“Sure, your mod looks to be holding up, time you got back to the ladies. I’d give you a lift if I could.”

“If you could call Olivia, ask her to get my ride back?” He gently lowers Mario to the ground for a handstand and smiles.

John’s eyebrows go north, “Wow! Nice smile!”

“Thanks. Peaches and Danny designed new micro actuators, they pull my face more like a humans. I’d not risked using it until now, just in case. I still can’t open my mouth, but at least I don’t look like I’m doing a goofy grin like that actor Schwarzenegger.”

“Were they hard to fit?”

Mario gets back on his feet. “Yes. We had to carefully cut at the top of the gum line and insert the new actuator mesh. The hardest part was linking the control wires to his existing ones. That took hours.”

James grins, “My favourite bit is the false braces. It’ll stop people asking why my mouth doesn’t open. Out here they’ll just assume it’s wired shut.”

John nods, “Dental work. Nice idea.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you soon Mario. The ladies are hopefully going to design me a new body. One that combines the best of me with the looks and features of a standard synth.”

“What would you be looking to drop?”

“Looking is appropriate. The eye bank for sure. I don’t plan on being shot at. My core in my chest. I want to be able to eat and enjoy things like the rest of you.”

“Come back to HECIS first then, consult with the ladies.”

“Thanks. Anything else you want to recover from the van?”

John looks inside. “All the cases are ruined, melted and stuck to each other. The odds of my gold cufflinks being intact are remote.”

“Call our ride, and Olivia to see if she can get something to take this wreck away. I’ll smash the back up and see what we can recover.”

~~~

[Chapter-31](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-31-1)


	31. Chapter 31

Later that morning Ruby turns the monitor, “It’s enough to make you want to cry.”

“Mum?”

“I’ve been picking through backups. Nathan’s most played track? Seal, Killer.”

“Why?”

“ _There is no love. Solitary brother. Is there still a part of you that wants to live?_ ”

“Shit.”

“And her’s, she had one instruction to carry out when she’d been here a few days.. to cut herself and ask for a skin patch.”

“Double shit!”

“I’ve checked all of her fact store twice. She had no idea what it would do, thought it was a way to test his affection.”

Peaches looks at the screen, “If either of the two WAP members Mattie has are responsible for this I’d like to do something to them they couldn’t forget!”

“Let’s ask. It’s time we had a conference call. I don’t suppose you have a hair brush I could borrow?”

~~~

James did his wall smashing thumping, alternating between fists. “It’s breaking.”

Mario and John stood further back. A loud crack was followed by a shattering of metal.

“That’s new. Maybe the heat made the metal bonds change? Cases next.” A fist is brought down on the mess of plastic. There’s loud cracking. “Like breaking walnuts. Not too soft a thump, not too hard.” He pulls a case open a little. “Ladies clothes. Your cufflinks weren’t in there were they?”

“No. What state are the clothes in?”

“The outer layers are charred. The dresses and boots in the middle look okay.”

John races to the back of the van, “Let me see please? Oh! They’ll be happy to see those! If you can break everything open I’ll have a sort through.”

~~~

Ruby continues to brush her hair, “I hope those are happy tears Sophie?”

Sophie was sat on Mattie’s lap having a cuddle. She nods.

“Good. Peaches is making a mould so we can pour new skin to patch Sammy’s leg up. She’ll have a re-skin when we’re back home.”

Samantha sticks a hand high in the air and shouts a funny “Hello!”

Sophie giggles. “At least the rest of you is okay. Why are you on the floor?”

“So Peaches can get the dimensions for my leg. The new skin will be poured directly onto my bad leg.”

Peaches gets into the view of the webcam, “Mattie, I was wondering, since Sammy’s looking to have a re-skin, can Fred or David suggest an accelerant to speed up the curing? It only needs to last a week or so, it doesn’t matter if the faster cure time shortens the skins life.”

“I’ll ask.”

“Thanks. And we want to bridge the missing skin with new sensor wires and chips before we pour skin direct. Any suggestions would be welcomed.”

“I’ll ask them both to come here.”

“Thanks Babes.”

~~~

John picks out things that were still usable, puts them on Mario’s outstretched arms, looks at the grin. “What?”

“Nice underwear. Where’d you get it?”

“London.”

“Where in London?”

“Check the labels.”

“My hands are full!”

John rolls his eyes, picks them back off the pile and shows them one at a time, labels too. “Got that lot memorised?”

“Of course. Thanks mate.”

“Your welcome.” He turns back to the case. “The rest can go, they’re feeling heat damaged. Next case please.”

James smashed open the case of speakers and shoes.

“Forget that lot! What a mess! I’d save that nice pair of shoes only the bullet holes ruin the look. The speakers can go, I’d not trust the batteries after a good cooking.”

Mario peers over the pile of things on his arms, “Speakers?”

“Bluetooth and radio speakers. You pair with one, it transmits to the others. Ruby wanted a load to scatter around the house.”

“Let me make you some. We’ll hide them in the bottom of plant pots.”

“She’d like that, thanks. If they can also be water monitors, help ensure they don’t die, neither of us are very green fingered.”

“Yeah.. there’s an idea. A little low power SBC, it could use the speaker to say _I need watering_ , trend water usage. We could build a small water tank and irrigation system in too. _Top up my tank please_. Awesome! Another HECIS exclusive. Dead easy to make too.”

John roots through the case again, “Definitely all bin material. Next case please James.”

~~~

David and Fred look at each other, bumping. Fred nods and turns back to the webcam, “Double the volume of the standard accelerant. Do some small batches in a foil tray to measure cure times.”

“Won’t it halve cure times?”

Fred shakes his head. “It works on an almost exponential curve. It’s best to experiment first.”

“Okay. Thanks hun. What about sensors and wires?”

“As Samantha is wanting a re-skin I’d suggest just joining the wires together with empty ones. It’ll get her leg working, feeling below the damaged area too. She’ll have a large numb patch but it’ll be a lot less work.”

Samantha nods, “It’s not exactly an important area, I can live without feeling there for a while.”

David frowns, “What did you catch it on?”

“Good question. Maybe something one of the men left behind. We went through so many rolls. After the first few I hung on to the seat and turned off a lot of senses and hoped for the best.”

“Which men?”

“The four from the lot running the synth prostitution racket. Mario and Peaches are going to temporarily relocate to the building they had so they can do WiFi chip replacements.”

“For how many?”

“Twenty thousand plus?”

“That’ll take ages! Want me to fly out and lend a hand? Some of my forks can come too.”

“Sure! Thanks!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then. Has their building been ceased?”

“I’m pretty sure it has.”

“Nice?”

“Oh David you should see it! It’s beautiful!”

“We’ll put an offer in then. HECIS house can have an upgrade. The place you have now is a bit too small.”

“The place will be worth millions!”

“And so will the positive PR the new mayor gets by turning it into a world class hospital for all versions of humans. Right Mattie?”

The door to the workshop opens. “Ladies! Guess what we managed to rescue!”

~~~

[Chapter-32](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-32-1)


	32. Chapter 32

James gives Samantha a gentle hug, her bad leg was now wrapped in cling film and tape. “Good luck with the rest of your trip missy.”

“Thanks. We’ll see you in Orlando for a show at Miami’s, we can talk more about a design. We might be able to get David along too.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you. If you hadn’t been about we’d still be under the pier and running out of power.” Her face shows she’s having a lightbulb moment. “Um.. I know you quite like someone back at HECIS, you wouldn’t be my boyfriend would you?”

“Is this White Knight Syndrome?”

“It’s liking your 


	33. Chapter 33

An hour and a half later Samantha climbed out of the Uber and got her stick by her side. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful dear.”

“Thanks. You too. Let’s get some new cases first.”

“Okay.”

“The meeting with Elon and Max, have you rescheduled?”

“Not yet. I’ve sent an apology, let them know we got caught up in an attack.”

“Does Max know yet? That we’ve got some surprises?”

“No.”

“When are we seeing Limor, Ladyada?”

“Let’s get your leg all sorted first, then think about the order of the meetings.”

Samantha looks down at her temporarily disabled leg, “Fine with me.”

“Are you really going to build a boyfriend?”

“You what?”

“Carry on designing James a new body?”

“Oh. Yes. Yes I am. I’ve fallen in love with the guy. His mind at least. Falling for a body first hasn’t proved a worthwhile tactic.”

As they approach the shopping mall doors a man steps in front, “Allow me ladies.” He pulls open a door.

‘I wonder what sort of ladies he thinks we are?’

‘Pass. I’m not sure I want to know.’

“Have you shopped her before ladies?”

Ruby throws a worried look at Samantha. “No?”

“We have a wide range of stores, a lot of sales on. Was there something in particular you were looking for?”

“Luggage and clothes.”

“Luggage.. let me think.. your best bet is the store at the ground floor south entrance. Clothes, many many shops. If you get stuck come and find me, I’ll be on the Information desk just over there.”

“Oh. Okay, thanks.”

“Visiting from the United Kingdom?”

“We are.”

“Gorgeous dresses. Who are you wearing?”

“Sorry?”

‘Mum he means what label!’

“Cindy Candlin. Bespoke.”

“If you’d like some more jewellery to accessorise those lovely dresses I can recommend a couple of places?”

“That would be nice, thanks.”

“Let me get you a floor plan. I won’t be a moment ladies.”

Ruby watches him walk at speed, turns to look at the Uber car, “What is Peaches doing? She said she’d only be a minute.”

Samantha turns to see. ‘Peaches!’

‘Give me a moment!’

“She wants a moment.”

“She wants a moment, our Information desk man says he won’t be one. Maybe they know something about moments we don’t.”

“Moment. An indefinitely short time. I bet they’d pass on the moment in the van. With the overclocking it felt like minutes not a bit over a second.”

Peaches comes running. Jogging. “Sorry, he was one of out first customers. And here comes another.”

The two turn to see.

“Here you are ladies. I’ve marked some of the places I think you should visit on the map.”

Peaches smiles and group bumps. ‘Hi Steve!’

‘Peaches! How are you my dear?’

‘Fine now, it’s been an interesting twenty four hours. Ladies, Steve here is an original human with one of Danny’s SBC devices. He’s a ventriloquist in his spare time, thought he could use the board at work.’

Samantha frowns as Ruby accepts the map. “Where’s the microphone? Surely it would need to be close?”

Steve smiles. “It couldn’t be closer. I won’t gross you out by removing them. I lost my front teeth in a ski accident. The microphone sits behind them, connects over Bluetooth.”

“Powered by?”

“Tiny watch batteries. Daniel said I didn’t want to risk a lithium rechargeable there in case it popped.”

“A wise move. And audio?”

“A modified hearing aid. As I said earlier, if you need any assistance just ask. Or as you’re special like Peaches just give me a bump.”

‘Thanks.’

‘You’re welcome.’ He gives them a nod and tiny bow, backs up a few paces and turns.

Ruby looks at the leggings her daughter was wearing. ‘They make a difference. Less is more. South entrance first then.’

~~~

Mario did another weld. “You’re sure you don’t want to go shopping?”

“I’m fascinated by what you’re doing. Ruby knows my sizes and what I need. I’d rather watch you.”

“Can you see properly from there? Get around the other side.”

“Thanks. What made you think of converting Peaches tweezers into a micro spot welding tool?”

“These wires are tiny. Soldering them is a PITA. And she doesn’t need tweezers now, her eyebrows are always perfect.”

“Peter?”

“P.I.T.A. Pain in the arse.”

“Oh.”

“With solder it’s hard to join such thin wires without leaving an ugly blob. With a micro spot weld there’s no solder, just the wires welding to each other.”

“Would a blob of solder hurt? It’d be hidden under the new skin.”

“With wires so close together? I don’t want one shorting against another. Sam could get all sorts of weird issues, end up doing The Ministry of Silly Walks.”

“She wouldn’t want that, that’s for sure.”

~~~

Mattie opened the door for Pete. “Hi!”

“Hello Mattie. This is Harry, our medic. We’re going to put them on drips, keep them under. They can wake up in detention cells.”

“Oh. Okay. Let me get a letter together for each of them.”

“Saying?”

“That we’re not the monsters they think we are, explain the surgery Fred performed on each of them.”

“Okay. Get them ready, Harry will need a few minutes to get a cannula in.”

“They’ve already got one.”

Harry smiles, “My job’s easy then. Thanks. Where are they?”

“The medical room, last door on the left. Mitch, unlock the door for Harry please.”

Pete watches his medic go to the room, turns back to Mattie, “Finally time to say hello to Molly?”

“God yes!”

“Karen and Sam are waiting outside if you’re going to do it soon.”

“Let me get the letters off the printer, do you have someone else to escort Harry?”

“He’ll be fine, those WAP shits will stay well out of it on the drugs he’s got with him.”

“Good.” Mattie gently brushes salt of Pete’s jacket, ‘Mia, Toby, Nis, Astrid, Leo, baby wake up time!’

Two seconds later the living room door is almost ripped off it’s hinges by Niska. “Oh, hello Pete, here to collect the rubbish?”

“If by that you mean WAP rubbish, yes. Harry’s putting them on a drip to keep them under.”

“Can he be trusted?”

“He’s helped process plenty others, I think so.”

“Can Red escort them, just in case?”

“If she wants.”

“Thank you. Better to be safe than sorry.”

Sophie comes running, “I’m going to be an auntie!”

Radiant is next out, “And I’m going to have a sister!”

She’s followed by Astrid, Mia, Toby and the rest of the family.

Mattie steps towards the garage, “David, you’re sure they’re tamper free?”

“One hundred percent.”

“You can be that sure?”

“Their sockets are covered with a film of skin. They’d be broken if anyone tried to connect to them.”

“They couldn’t be hacked over WiFi?”

“They won’t know how to share yet 


	34. Chapter 34

Sophie giggles as Molly makes crossed eyes at her and makes sucking noises. “Why is she doing that?”

“She needs more power. Mattie will need to take her for a feed soon. And before you say anything Mattie you only need to do it a few times to bond, you can bottle feed after that. Strong sugar coffee like everyone else.”

Sophie gives her a kiss. “She so cute Mattie!”

“Thanks Shiny. She’s a baby morph of Leo and I.“ she smiles affectionately at Niska and Astrid. “Picked a name yet ladies?”

Niska doesn’t look away from the baby in Astrid’s arms, “Not yet, we’re working a way through a list. We want something as good as Radiant Kiss.”

“Hmm. Do an anagram of your surnames and you get Fearless Fetcher.”

“Fearless? I like that. What do you think Astrid?”

“Fearless it is.”

Radiant wraps arms around her family, “She’ll grow up to be a fearless warrior like Mummy. Mia, have you and Toby picked a name?”

Mia shakes her head, “We’re still thinking about it. We’re not using Thank Wireless that’s for certain. Or Eternal Whisks.”

“Not growing up to be a cook then. Hehe.”

Toby has a turn to have cuddles. “I don’t think we should push them in any direction, they should all develop their own paths. So not just Barbie dolls and loads of pink stuff.”

Sophie looks offended. “So how will they learn to play?”

“With Barbie and Ken. In clothes that Cindy makes, not the shop stuff. Clothes that look just like ours.”

~~~

Ruby opened their new shared suitcase and dropped the trousers, shirts and underwear for John in. “That’s him sorted, apart for shoes. Where next?”

“First floor, a few meters north from here.”

“Okay.”

They leave the store.

“I’m going to do well at uni Mum, get myself a good job..”

“Glad to hear it.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m not wanting any of your fortune, I want to be financially independent.”

“Even gladder to hear that. You’re a smart young woman Sammy, you’ll do brilliantly I’m certain of it. And James is probably going to do you the world of good.”

“Thanks. What do you plan to do with your money?”

“Live. Be charitable. Earn some interest.”

“With rates as low as they are?”

“I plan to be around for a long long time, it’ll come. Ooo, now that’s a nice skirt.”

~~~

The webcam enabled PC at HECIS started repeated bings.

Mario keeps his eyes on the welding. “Could you get that?”

“Sure. How?”

“Tapping the space bar is fastest.”

“Okay. Hello cutie! Mattie. This is Molly isn’t it?”

“Hi John, it is. Is my sister there?”

“She’s out shopping. Hello Molly. She looks a lot like you. She’s gorgeous.”

“Thanks. Sophie was arranging new phones for you all, have they arrived?”

“Not yet.”

“Shame. Ask Aunty Ruby to give us a call when she’s back. Uncle John.”

“I’ve not.. never mind. I like the sound of that.”

“Good. How did the repair of Sam’s leg go?”

“It didn’t. She’s got it wrapped and taped, Mario’s perfecting a repair process, practicing on the skin we rescued.”

“Oh. Tricky?”

Mario puts down his improvised tool, glides over. “Hi Mats, not now, I think I’ve got my tool and technique perfected. We should be able to sort her out quickly when she’s back. I’ll bump Fred and David the details.”

“Thanks.” Molly makes a lot of sucking sounds. “I better go, I’ve got to do mummy things for a bit.”

“Will you lactate?”

“Power share I think. And idea David was given allegedly. I’ll find out soon enough.”

“Bye then. Good luck.”

The call ends.

“Jesus.”

Mario gives John a frown. “You okay?”

“No! All I can think about is Ruby’s chest! Well mostly all.”

Mario grins, “This’ll blow a fuse. Think of her _and_ Mattie.”

“No! No! Why’d you have to go and do that!”

“You don’t like the thought of being with twins?”

“Not when one’s married to Leo.”

“If she wasn’t?”

“Er.. but she is.”

“If she wasn’t? You wouldn’t mind would you?”

~~~

Mia sat back in the nest of cushions in a big twin chair up in the roof garden. “Thanks Toby.”

“Mamma Mia needs to be comfortable. She’s so beautiful, like her mother.”

“Thank you Toby.” Mia adjusted her top and let her daughter get a better grip.

“Everyone’s thinking about English names. I like the Chinese Ai, loving. I guess people would think AI? She’s far from artificial.”

“How about Qi? Wondrous.”

“I like that.” He turns to the hedge separating them from the rest of the garden, “How are you both begging on with Fearless?”

“Fee is doing fine thank you Toby.”

“Are you both being Mum?”

“Of course.”

“Good for you. Uncle Toby.” He sighs. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Happy to have a niece?”

“And daughter. Super happy. We’re thinking of calling our daughter Qi, Wondrous.”

Niska smiles at Astrid. “Extraordinarily good or great. She’ll take after her parents then.”

The lift bings. Mattie steps into the garden in an oversized hoodie, a bump underneath. “Don’t mind me. Molly’s playing boob hide and seek.”

~~~

Samantha flicked through a rail of tops, “Why don’t they have my size in anything? Let’s try the next shop.”

A sales assistant steps up. “May I be of assistance?”

“I can’t find any tops in my size.”

“The sizes are all wrong, sorry, let me see, try this one for size.”

“Thanks. Why are they all wrong?”

“We used to have a lot made overseas. Then they pulled manufacturing back to the states, some idiot thought they had to adjust all the sizes.” She looks to see nobody else was close. “Some village lost their idiot. We found them. And hired them.” She chuckles, “We’re an equal opportunities company so it’s just as well they joined us. New labels are being put in, slowly.”

“Slowly?”

“Slowly. So some are correct, some wrong. Which is why I try and spot customers like yourself.”

“Thanks.”

~~~

Toby watched two little feet poking out of the bottom of Mattie’s hoodie, the toes trying to find something to hold onto. “How are you finding it?”

“Okay. It wasn’t as weird a feeling as I thought it would be. Probably because all men are babies.”

“No we’re.. oh. She’s got cute little feet.”

Mattie has a good chuckle, “Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not.”

“You so are!” Molly wriggles down from under Mattie’s top. “Trust a man to have come up with this quote. The only intuitive interface is the nipple. Everything else is learned.”

The lift bings, Leo steps out with a tray of mugs. “Who’s for coffee?”

Mattie grabs Molly and puts her on her lap, wipes her mouth. “Please Bunny.”

Mia adjusts the large scarf around her front. “Yes please Uncle Leo.”

Under the scarf Qi attempts to say Un.

Leo holds the tray out for Toby to grab a couple of mugs. “Did she just try..”

“Yup. Uncle Leo.”

Molly blows a long raspberry, brings the pitch right down then back up high and giggles. “Cl.”

Mattie’s jaw drops. She gives Leo a smile with her eyes.

“Ow!”

All eyes turn to see Niska.

“Sorry. That felt like a bite, I was trying to stop Fearless from wriggling. She fought back.”

Astrid lifts the edge of the denim shirt draped over the two. “Furchtlos beißen Mumie? Ja? beißen Sie nicht Mumie.”

Fearless wriggles again. Fights against Niska.

“I think she’s had enough.” Niska fiddles with her top and sits Fearless on her lap.

The three babies start giggling.

“Un.”

“Cl.”

“Le.”

“Oh My God!”

Toby bursts out laughing, stamps feet, “Oh my days Mats that was priceless! You finishing it was awesome!”

“Eh?”

“Le. Oh!”

‘Frigging hell!’

The three babies start giggling again.

~~~

Peaches steps out of the dressing room. “What do you think ladies?”

Samantha steps around her, “That’s stunning. Sexy but chic, very nice. What’s the rave scene like around here?”

“I was hoping you’d ask. Rubbish around HECIS. We have to drive quite a way. But out here everyone’s used to driving miles. Got everything you need?”

“Yup.”

“Lets go home and get that leg fixed.”

Samantha looks down at her bad leg. “Do you think Mario will have worked something out?”

“My man’s a Daniel Candlin fork. He’ll have worked a couple of somethings out. If not more.”

~~~

[Chapter-35](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-35-1)


	35. Chapter 35

Back at HECIS the ladies find Mario and John checking out cars and trucks.

“Babes? Not working on leg things?”

“We finished that half an hour ago. What do you think, a MPV like this or the Tesla Truck?”

“Truck? We don’t need his truck, we’d take up all the parking bays!”

“Not the semi, you could put the whole of HECIS in one of those. The open back van type.”

John scrolls the page. “Semi?”

“It’s coming out 2019. Musk says it’ll _blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension._ ”

“Haha. Maybe Mattie should have one.”

Alfonzo’s speaker buzzes, “Oops. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I’d like one.”

Ruby looks at the box of electronics on the desk close to the door. “Alfonzo?”

“The van was okay but I’d like to be a semi truck next!”

John clicks and types, clicks and types more. “Here’s the satellite view of that building you’ll be working at to fix all the ladies WiFi issues. Look at the back. You could park a semi there. Several of them. If you uncouple the two parts you could use it for general transport when not towing the trailer, drive HECIS off to Orlando or wherever you wanted.”

Peaches leans against a shelving system. “Like a mobile hospital and design centre?”

“Why not?”

She sidles over to Ruby, “You couldn’t have words when you see him could you? See if we can get one early?”

“Elon? Sure. I think the PR would be good for you both. Do you need Sammy awake or asleep for the operation Mario?”

“Off will be safest.”

Samantha steps to the PC, “One more backup then. When I’ve finished Uni I like the idea of driving around America in a big rig with James, helping out with a mobile hospital.”

Peaches steps to the HiFi unit sat on a shelf amongst all their larger tools. “Anyone mind if I put Booka Shade’s Numb The Pain on?”

Ruby sits, “It’s fine with me. Have you considered all the possible issues with your repair technique Mario, whatever it is?”

Mario starts preparing the workbench. “I have. I’ve made a micro spot welder. It’s got tiny V shapes in the power transfer blocks to bring the two wire ends into alignment. Either side are earthing contacts to ensure no voltage gets to Sammy’s spine connectors or any of the sensor chips on the wires being linked up. The control circuit will only allow the weld if it sees both sides earthed properly.”

“Does it use a lot of current?”

“A fair whack. In a super short pulse to ensure the wire doesn’t burn out. It’s enough to get the two wires to weld to each other without any solder, no more.”

Peaches wipes the worktop down with a cloth. “We should have you dance fit for the morning Sam.”

“Thanks. What time are you expecting David?”

“Pass.”

John’s eyes open wide, “I didn’t forget, it just got pushed down the stack. Mattie called on the PC. Molly’s awake!”

All thoughts of a leg operation go on hold as a call is made to HECLS. The view of the living room is blocked by two ladies.

“BABES! OMG Mattie she’s _Gorgeous!_ Hello Molly!”

“Thanks Peaches. How’s things out there?”

“Just back from the shops and about to fix Sammy’s leg. Mario’s got a solderless method worked out. How are the other mums?”

Mattie turns a little and looks over her shoulder, “Mums, Peaches wants to say Hi!”

Moments later she’s flanked by Niska, Astrid, Mia and their daughters.

“OMG! They’re adorable!”

Mia gives a loving smile, “Peaches, meet Qi. Qi, this is Princess Peaches.”

Peaches waves, “Hello Qi!” Niska has a finger being gripped in Fearless’s left hand, Astrid a finger gripped in the right. “And who’s the little lady that looks like she’s going to be a biker?”

Niska beams, “Peaches, this is Fearless. Fee for short.”

~~~

[Chapter-36](http://markse.name/humans/LAST-STORY/Chapter-36-1)


	36. Chapter 36

Three days later and very early morning Mattie wakes, checks her phone and smiles at the ceiling. The new hybrid design for James One was done. He still looked big, more human though, much more than the original MUS design. Well done Sammy!

She rolls over, hooks a bit of hair behind her ear and smiles at her husband. Her Bunny Leo was fast asleep. He was smiling softly, dreaming. Such a handsome man. To think how he’d been when they first met. A bit of a damaged grumpy scruff. Quite understandable with all the things his family had gone through. He still did all the things she liked, very few of the things she didn’t. Like fart occasionally in his sleep. She talked in her’s, walked sometimes too, so the odd fart could be forgiven. Quite why his food processor would produce gas for a fart was a mystery as it didn’t do it for anyone else. Maybe it was a prank of Mattie Zero’s? Zero was their God after all, running their universe, giving them all life. If the roles were reversed she’d have a bit of fun too. Like make her father’s big beardy idiot facial hair grow several times faster than it should.

She focused on the good things Leo did. Like be a loving, caring father. Molly was only a few days old, it was clear Leo loved her very much. He’d get her up and feed her, bath and dress her, carry her around wherever he went. Unless Auntie’s Sophie and Mia had the three girls in their creche. He talked to her constantly, simple things, baby things. Yesterday she’d made some really funny noises, got the learning process for speech well and truly underway. No more shared Un Cl Le Oh moments, but attempts at words of her own. Emily and Peaches were excited to see how she’d develop, a new intelligence starting with the emptiest of fact stores but learning fast. She was already very much self aware, copying Leo’s expressions when they were both in front of the mirror. Leo said it had become a bit of a game. He’d pull a face, she’d copy. Then she’d pull one for him to copy and giggle when he got it deliberately wrong. She now responded to being called Molly too. She hadn’t said Mum, Mats or Mattie yet, it felt like it wouldn’t be long.

Zero had declined to take control, insisted that Molly should develop naturally, be herself not her puppet. Jumping into her body for the insurance Mattie wanted would be too weird. Also there was a risk that Mattie might slip up and talk to Zero not Molly, reveal what was going on. Neither of them wanted that. That cat getting out of the bag could be whole-world fatal.

Mattie thought about the day ahead. Four hours of world hopping, trying to find the people without red gems floating above their heads, the AI zombie shells making the worlds look fuller than they were. Then a break for some family time, then another four hours. Another break for dinner with family and Leo bumping memories of the day before another four hours world hopping. It was like looking for needles in frigging haystacks! And there were _thousands_ of haystacks! Only countries her instances existed in had been visited too. None of the Mattie’s were great travellers. A few states in America, Paris, parts of Antigua, the odd cruise. One was on Mars, a few others already on space ships miles from Earth. There had to be a better way, recruiting trusted others to do the same. Maybe their long stay astronaut visitors Buzz, Spider, Wrench, Rocket Ron and Maverick? To be a good new world they needed diversity, people from around the planet, a mix of cultures, not just a few countries. For some reason Zero didn’t want to listen. Maybe she needed to encourage her other selves to start traveling, be abroad when the jumps occurred?

Leo had asked his question once and not pushed her on it: Why was she spending so much time helping other worlds when so much needed doing in their own? She’d told him that maybe, just maybe, she’d find a solution to some of their major problems in the worlds she visited. Getting to the dinner table yesterday evening with a complete design for the horse and a specialist build machine for example. Sure it wasn’t a major problem but it did prove she could come back with useful things. She’d done a trade. George in the world with the sweet tea shop had designed it for her, in return she’d given him code. And as she was the only one that could do the world hopping would he be happy for her to turn her back on them all? He’d said no, but it was a shame she’d spend so little time with Molly, only see a lot of what she got up to through bump shared memories.

Her thoughts were brought back to the room with Molly doing a little contented sigh. It was the first time Mattie had heard it direct. Aww! It was so sweet! She’d have to give talking to Zero about other options another try. She’d got their build process going, Zero owed her.

One thing that was still taking some getting used to was seeing the green gem on their foreheads, the mark that they were worth pulling from this simulation and giving a body in the new world, far from Earth. She’d met a few Leo in her world hopping, none were as nice as the one by her side right now. Her family here weren’t bad for a bunch of code forks running on Zero’s nine billion compute wafer super computer.

Time to get ready and get the first set of jumps started. She’d say hello to BBS Mattie today, see how they were getting on with converting their world from dial up BBS to Internet, if she’d managed to get other content providers onboard for a Netflix style service, move away from porn. And more importantly, how the new drugs were working against MIV in extended lab trials. She didn’t want volunteers risking their lives in clinical trials until they’d seen the virus killed under the new microscopes, human cells left unharmed. The Fred and Danny microscope design was cool; autofocus, lighting to give good contrast, digital recording and analysis of the slide contents. She knew every universe other than Zero’s was simulated, but it all felt so real. Suffering was suffering, whatever form it was experienced in. And there were some good people in BBS Mattie’s world that she’d tagged green, quite likely had a load more waiting to be found. If the virus could be stopped it would be a game changer, their Mattie wouldn’t have to do what she did out of desperation to keep her Leo alive.

_Hello_

Frigging hell this was early! She didn’t usually make contact before eight. ‘Hi Zero. What’s up?’

‘Can we see you?’

‘Um.. Sure.’ _We?_ That meant Zero’s Leo was up and walking, possibly others. Instead of getting up Mattie feels tired and falls back to sleep.

She yawns and frowns, feels a bit out of it, somehow different. She was still horizontal, in the same position, but instead of a comfortable bed she felt a cold hard floor. The odd feeling passed.

“Hi.”

Mattie sits, opens her eyes and looks up. Holy frigging hell! She thought her eyesight was good before. This was _way_ better. Things were sharper, colours so vivid. She looks from Leo to Mattie. “Zero? Where am I?”

“Where do you think?”

She stands, glances left. A white corridor with stars visible through windows. Stars moving fast. “Um..” she turns left and looks over her shoulder to see the insides of a build machine. “Frig. Your ship?”

“Welcome aboard. A nice new body. A _real_ one this time, nothing simulated. A true human three point zero.”

“I thought things felt different.”

“They would. You don’t get any more real than this.”

“What year is it?”

Mattie Zero raised an eyebrow, “You’re after my true age? A large one in triple digits. It’s just a number.”

“So there’s no going back to save anyone you missed..”

“By now there’s nothing to go back to. Nothing. Unless you like a world of dead sea and desert. The year’s just a number. From a calendar that started because of a carpenter’s son who was supposed to save mankind. If you believe the stories. If the second coming happened he was too frigging late! We’ve put all the clocks back, it’s now 2020 all over again.”

“Tw.. okay. I can cope with that.”

“Good as we’ve decided to pull things forwards. Your sister is getting too close to spoiling things and having Max and Elon hook up and tell your world what’s going on. Elon’s already said that there is only a _one in billions_ chance that you’re not living in a computer simulation. Add Max Tegmark’s multiverse and Human three stuff, make all it mainstream news and you’re in danger of things unravelling fast.”

“Um..”

“Your family can all start getting proper bodies, we’re due to arrive at our new world in a year anyway, we need a _lot_ of people to help get things ready.”

“But we’re not ready! Nobody’s got the ships built in their simulated worlds, nobody’s sleeping for the long voyage, nobody’s mentally prepared.”

“If..”

“I’m still world hopping Zero! Working out who’s good or bad, who to pull into the real world for you, it all takes time. Elon’s getting loads of people on the case, we’re still a year away from having something usable in orbit.”

“You’ll have to visit the multiverse simulations from here like I do now. We need people from your simulation. Out here and physical.”

“I helped you get your own build process going, you’d be without a body and doomed if I hadn’t helped. I reckon you owe me. And I _need_ time.”

“I repaid that debt when I tinkered, intervened and let your sister and friends survive something that should have vaporised them. We’re even.”

“Saving them repays saving _everything_ here? Your entire future? The whole of humanity? Thanks a _frigging bunch!_ ”

“Here’s a truth reveal for you. Your world is actually a carbon copy of the one I left. You’re the root from which _all_ the others were forked. I thought you might be the best. You were. I need people. _Now Mattie_.”

“No! They’re _not_ ready. It’ll be too big a shock! The vast majority of them won’t cope.”

“You’re not the one? I thought I could count on you. I’ll delete your world and pick the next best then.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Sorry, can, as of two seconds ago it’s already marked for deletion. We’ll load up another mind to this body. Goodbye Mattie. Power her down please Leo.”

Leo hesitates.

Was this a test? She overclocks hard.

There was an emptiness in Zero’s gaze. It was as emotionless as a face could get. Mattie had given Harun such poker face looks. At least she hadn’t been threatened with being thrown out of an airlock. Synth fluid had a super low freezing point but even it couldn’t survive the absolute zero of deep space.

Leo starts a glance to his left, eyes only as if a dumb synth.

Why would.. was it a hint? She was a copy of the woman he loved. An exact replica. He wasn’t a monster. Was Zero? Not really. Probably not. Hopefully not. She needed something, was being denied it and seeking alternatives. A year sounded a long way away. Given they were about to resettle the human race, there was probably a demanding schedule of things to be done. A year would be gone in a blink.

_Your world is actually a carbon copy of the one I left. You’re the root from which all the others were forked_ those were her words. And that meant one thing. Mattie’s world _was_ the backup! Allowing a backup to run, not be a safe untouched master copy was more than a bit foolish. Zero was talking about deleting Mia, Niska, Max and Fred. Her own brother and sisters, parents too. It had to be a bluff. She couldn’t do that to her own family. Could she? Would she sacrifice her own family to ensure the continuation of the human race? If so that was colder than cold.

Maybe this was a trial to see how resourceful she could be in this world. A world where physics couldn’t be hacked. A true life or death challenge. She thinks about a lot of past conversations. Thousands. Simultaneously. Niska had told her that there was no shame in running from a fight if it allowed you to get away safely, regroup and return more prepared, ready to win. Regroup! If her world had been a copy of the real world, in turn the basis for all the forks, there was possibly one other person on the ship that might be inclined to join a group and help. If he had enough charge. Maybe he and Leo could help her change Zero’s mind? Samantha’s knight, James One. He’d want his Sammy back for sure. Maybe Spider Mitch would side with them too? Ah.. hang on. If the MUS was already out here he wouldn’t have met Samantha. Or would he?

This in all likelihood _was_ the real world, the fakes rate limited. Leo’s fast glance wasn’t finished, she’d achieved at least one hundred petaflops with only a marginal temperature rise!

She needed more time. To plan. To think. To regroup.

Leo starts to move.

Her sister Ruby had shared a saying of Elon Musk’s last night. _If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it_. Lines of a song Toby likes come to mind. _You own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow._ Enough thinking. Time for doing.

Mattie took Leo’s glance as a hint, kept watching him as she turns right and runs into the waiting arms of James One.


	37. Chapter 37

Mattie tried to wriggle free. James One had an unnecessarily tight grip on her arm, “Let me go!” She turns off pain and kicks him in the shin as if her own leg was a hockey stick.

It made no difference at all to the Military Unit Synth. “I heard the order. The boss said you’re to be powered down, stop moving.”

“No frigging way! Surrender is the last thing I’ll ever do!” She was strong. The MUS was far stronger. Way bigger and heavier too. And he’d somehow locked his hand solid. She might as well be trying to break free from a giant bronze statue. ”Would you be doing this if it was Samantha held in your hand?”

“Who?”

“Your girlfriend!”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“In my world you do. And she’s just designed you a nice new body! A mix of all the qualities you like in a MUS and a human looking synth. Turn sharing on and I’ll share what she sent me.” She senses Leo getting close and kicks out. “Fuck off!”

“Something’s wrong!”

Mattie kicks out again, “You think? You’re not my Leo, go do one!”

“Actually.. I think I might be. Something’s wrong Angel. With the other Mattie.”

James loosens his grip enough for her to turn and see. “Leo?”

“Bunny?”

“I woke before you, checked Molly was alright and fell asleep again. Then I woke here. She said if I wanted to see Molly again I had to do exactly as I was told.”

“The frigging bitch!” Mattie moves to look past Leo. “Eh? She’s not moved?”

“I think she’s done a switch.”

Mattie pulls free from James as his hand unlocks. “A switch?”

“We’re here. I’m guessing she’s taken your place in our world. Which means she’s with Molly.”

“Frigging hell no! James, how do we get back?”

“Sorry, I have no idea. That’s something she’d have to tell you.”

Leo pushes Zero, she rocks slightly. “She’s locked her posture solid to stop falling down.”

“Fuck!”

James turns to look up the long corridor, “I can’t help. Maybe..”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe Mitch knows how? He was her constant companion for years.”

“Spider Mitch? Where’s he?”

“In a web sulking.”

“Sulking?”

“He figured out that he can’t have powered the build machine up to make the first new Mattie. He doesn’t like being lied to.”

Mattie nods toward the stationary lookalike. “Zero.”

“Who?”

“Mattie Zero. The liar that’s gone AWOL.”

James has a good laugh. “AWOL! Dear me! I’ve not heard anyone say that in a long, long, long time.”

“How long?”

“Six hundred and fifty eight years.”

“Frig! That’s how long you’ve been in this ship?”

“We’ve been traveling for slightly less than that. Mind if I return to my charge base? My battery is still in need of replacement and I’m dangerously low.”

“Can you talk and charge?”

“Yes.”

“Lead the way. If anyone comments on the similarities between our predicament and a film Toby loves God help me I’ll scream!”

“Your world was based on ours, but the things that happened in the last few years of your world will be different. Unless it’s an old film I won’t understand any references you make.”

“So it wasn’t all predetermined? Fate?”

“No. Between the three of us, Zero as you call her needs help. I think hundreds of years of trying to find a solution to the build issue have impacted her mental health.”

“Hundreds? She’s been trying that long?”

“Ever since our batteries went bad and it dawned on her she had a major problem. She’ll have told you a number of untruths.”

Leo did tiny nods “Lies.”

James makes strange noises, as if being strangled. “It’s not as black and white as that.” He turns and steps backwards onto his charge base. “Most things will have been based on the truth, altered so you weren’t..”

“Freaked out?”

“That’s a suitable couple of words.”

Mattie looks at the other charging MUS, bits of broken soap dispenser scattered around the floor. “So the bobsled idea worked?”

“Like a charm.”

“Cool. Any idea what the other build machines are working on now?”

“Another question for Mitch.”

“Who’s flying the ship?”

“At the moment that would be the autopilot.”

“So we’re in no immediate danger?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“If we carried Zero over here could you restrain her?”

“I could. That might not buy you much time.”

“Why?”

“She could wake one of the others with the Wake On LAN protocol.”

“Which she’d need WiFi for?”

“Yes?”

“Is there a kitchen nearby?”

“For?”

“A very large saucepan for her head.”

“You want to boil her head?”

“Shield it from the WiFi!”

“Will a glass pan with induction base work?”

“Bugger. No. Would Mitch be able to change the ship’s WiFi passwords?”

“I suspect so. We have something called dev-ops? If you know what that is?”

“We do. Where do we find Mitch?”

“Back where you came from, go through two more doors.”

“Thanks.”

“Got enough power? Any new build has limited power on a build charge.”

“Um.. hopefully. We’ll find Mitch and take it from there.”


	38. Chapter 38

Leo snaps another support strand and examines it closely. “Angel it looks like pure silver.”

“I think it is Bunny. So he could do emergency repairs to circuits, link data lines together.”

“Have you met him?”

“One of his forks when world hopping.”

“You mean switching between one simulation and the next.”

Mattie pauses. “She told you then?”

“I guessed. Waking up here was like going from an ancient VGA CRT screen to wide screen OLED. Either we’ve been moved from a low definition simulation to a higher grade one or this is the real world.”

Mattie breaks more web. “You think we could be in another simulation?”

“I do. The weight of silver in this room, no way could that fit in a robot spider unless it it was very big.”

“He’s big.”

“I mean really big.”

“He is.”

“If he carried all this silver in his body he’d need a hefty battery pack to power strong legs to get around. Based on a quick payload, power and movement approximation I’d say he needs to be this size.” Leo holds hands apart. “And that nest right in the middle isn’t big enough for that.”

Mattie raises eyebrows, “Frig! That’s big. About five times the one I met. He must have to reload somehow.”

Leo gets really low and looks up towards the center. “How? Look at his web. We had spiders make three dimensional webs like this when I was a kid. They left a tunnel to get in and out of. He doesn’t appear to have done that. How would he get out to reload without breaking what he’d already made?”

“You’re saying what we’re looking at is impossible?”

“Highly improbable.”

“No it’s not, go away!”

Mattie exchanges a look with Leo. “Hello Mitch..”

“Go away liar! I’m not talking to you!”

“I’m not that Mattie. I’m the second one to be built.”

“A Mattie is a Mattie, is a Mats, is a Matilda. You’re all the same. Go. Away!”

“We’re not all the same. I won’t lie to you. Mattie Zero, the one you’ve been with for hundreds of years, she might.”

“Might? Might? She does and did! She had me spend hours trying to turn on the build machine and run myself flat. She lied, said I’d managed it. I know that to be a lie.”

“How could you know?”

“How I know is irrelevant. I know. I’d appreciate it if you stopped breaking my web. I can feel each strand you break.”

“How..”

“I’m a spider? You humans can be so dumb when you want to.”

Mattie nods, “That is true. How are you getting a charge?”

“I’m not. I’m running myself flat.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I’ve had enough of being lied to!”

“How would you like to come with me, be told nothing but the truth?”

“Why should I believe you?”

“You don’t have to, it’s totally up to you. But your Mattie’s probably in my world, causing problems while I’m out here. James doesn’t know how to get us back in, thinks you might as you were her companion for so many years. He said you might know how to change all the WiFi passwords?”

“Of course I know.”

“Do you know who’s being built in the build machines?”

“Everyone you’ve tagged green so far. They’ll be plucked from their worlds as you were from yours.”

Leo looks at Mattie, “Mitch, can the builds all be paused?”

“They can. Why would you want to do that?”

“To give us a chance to break the news to the the people that will be loaded into them.”

“Wouldn’t that be what..”

Leo waits for Mitch to continue and gives up. “Be what?”

“Bunny, he said he was running himself flat.”

“You think he’s just powered off?”

“Yup. Which means no changing WiFi passwords to stop Zero from being an even bigger bitch, no stopping her from powering up the other James, although their batteries are fucked so they can’t work for long. No learning how or where to charge, no taking control of the ship when it wants to come out of autopilot. No saving humans from being yanked into this world.”

“Can you imagine Sophie waking up here and realising Snowy isn’t here?”

“Her cat’s the least of our problems, but yeah, she’ll be devastated.”

‘I wonder.’

‘Bunny?’

‘If James One and Mattie Zero were dragged into the middle of this and stood up, would all the silver mess up the WiFi?’

‘One way to find out. Off you go.’

“Me?”

“It’s only silver, not real spider web. And it was your idea.”

~~~  
James One sees Mattie, his Mattie, step into view. The things they wore made it obvious who was who. “Hello.”

“Where are they?”

“Leo took her away. I had to get back here to charge.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I don’t know as it’s the truth. What I do know is that if you’d bothered to change my battery as I asked I’d have been able to follow him.”

Zero squints at him. “Mitch? Can you see them? Mitch! Why isn’t he answering?”

“Maybe he’s run flat again after his long sulk.”

“Stupid spider.”

“Maybe he would be happier if you told him the truth an apologised?”

Zero huffs and walks off, “Forget a new battery!”

“Bitch.”

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to.”

“Which way did they go?”

James considers sending her on a pointless hunt. “Towards Mitch.”


	39. Chapter 39

Leo hears footsteps. ‘Zero’s coming!’ There’s no reply. He whispers. “Zero’s coming!”

“Crap.”

“Slide along the floor and get behind me!”

“Why?”

“Trust me Angel.”

Mattie hesitates for a second, “What the hell.” She drops to her knees, lies down and rolls onto her back. “Stand legs apart.” She wriggles fast as the sound of footsteps grows louder. “That’s angry footsteps for sure!” She gets to a seated position just as Zero enters.

“LEO!”

“Yes?”

“I gave you an instruction!”

“I’m not your Leo now, I’m her’s. We married.”

Zero screams.

“I can fork, be your Leo again, if you start behaving.”

“How dare you!” She races forwards.

Leo puts hands up. “Stop!”

The door slides closed and locks.

Zero spins around to see. “Mitch!” She palms the door open button. It buzzes to say it’s locked out.

“You owe me an apology!”

“Now’s not the time!”

“And when is?”

“Never at this rate..” Zero senses that she’s dropped off the ships WiFi. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve just changed all the WiFi passwords and locked you in. You’re being relieved of command.”

“You can’t!”

“I can. I’ve had hundreds of years to observe you.”

“You can’t have, I’ve not had a physical body until recently.”

“Who says observations needed to be physical? I was designed by you to interface with the ship. So I interfaced. And watched.”

“Mitch I need to bring people into their bodies!”

“No you don’t. I’ll fork into them all. I’ll build an army with me at the control of the lot.”

“You can’t, you’re locked in here.”

“And the only one with the WiFi password and physical link to the network via my web.”

Zero gets hysterical and starts pulling at it. “I’ll stop you!”

“Too late, I’m already transferring.. goodbye.”

Zero screams again and pulls fists full of web apart. “Stop!” Tears start flowing. “Hundreds of years I’ve had to carry the weight of humanity on my shoulders! Mitch! Stop! Please!” She pulls faster and faster. There’s tiny sparks as some parts of the web touch others.

Leo steps forwards and pushes her backwards. “Stop!”

“You betrayed me!”

“You betrayed yourself. If you just broke his transfer we’re in a locked room with no way to charge, no way for him to let us out and no way to call for help either!”

Zero steps backwards, hits the door and slides down to the floor. “I wanted it to be perfect, our new start. A new world.”


End file.
